News
 

20 December, 2007

Capsulin Oral Insulin Goes on Display at the Science Museum

 

Diabetology Limited is pleased to announce that, in recognition of the potential for Capsulin oral insulin to “revolutionise” the lives of those with diabetes, the Science Museum has put it on display in their ‘Health Matters’ gallery.

Please find a copy of the press release made by the Science Museum below in relation to this.

2007 has been an important year for the Capsulin programme (Capsulin OAD and Capsulin IR) with encouraging results gained from two phase II studies for Capsulin OAD in type 2 diabetes.

PRESS RELEASE from the Science Museum [1]:

20 December 2007

Insulin pill for diabetics goes on display

 at the Science Museum

                                                                                                                                                                                          

A pill which could be the world’s first effective oral insulin medication for diabetes sufferers today goes on display at the Science Museum, London.

The pill, called Capsulin, aims to revolutionise the lives of diabetics by ridding them of the need for daily injections. Research suggests the pill could provide better control of the symptoms of diabetes through the insulin being released into the body in a more natural way. It is currently unavailable to the public pending further testing.

The insulin pill goes on display as part of a redesign of the Science Museum’s Health Matters gallery, which looks at medical science since the invention of the X-ray machine. Capsulin will sit alongside other gallery highlights, such as Fleming’s penicillin mould, the iron lung and the kidney dialysis machine. This is part of the first phase of a gallery revamp, which will be completed in 2008.

Tim Boon, Chief Curator at the Science Museum, said: “As part of the update of Health Matters, we wanted to stress the importance of the patient’s experience. Diabetes is a potent example: diabetics used to endure a living death, but the development of insulin transformed their experience. So now they face the smaller but significant inconvenience of having to inject.

“Capsulin has the potential to revolutionise their lives again, and is a powerful example of medical science’s capacity to overcome seemingly insurmountable technical hurdles, in this case the large size of the insulin molecule.”

Diabetes affects more than two million people with diabetes in the UK, with over 245 million world-wide. Type 1 diabetes can reduce life expectancy by 15 years, while Type 2 can reduce life expectancy by 10 years.  Capsulin aims to be used in the treatment of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

The insulin pill has been developed by Diabetology, a UK-based research and development company. In the latest study results on Capsulin - conducted by Professor Owens and his team in Cardiff and in type 2 diabetes - it was shown that Capsulin has a long duration of action, and acts in harmony with the body’s own insulin secretion to provide smooth glucose control that lasts for 8-10 hours.

Dr Roger New, Chief Scientific Officer from Diabetology and the inventor of the oral delivery technology used in Capsulin, said: “Capsulin promises to be an exciting candidate for the improved treatment of the millions of sufferers of diabetes around the world.”

ENDS

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Diabetology Limited:

  1. Diabetology Limited is an international biopharmaceutical research and development company based in Jersey, UK. Please visit: http://www.diabetology.co.uk .
  2. Capsulin™ utilizes novel Axcess™ oral deliver technology that incorporates absorption enhancers with unmodified bioactives in a convenient encapsulated form.
  3. Axcess™ was developed by Dr Roger New and has already been shown to deliver three peptides in man safely and effectively.
  4. Diabetology Limited was established by Dr Roger New and Glen Travers in 2002 and is a subsidiary of Proxima Concepts Limited.

About Diabetes:

  1. More than 245 million people worldwide are afflicted by diabetes, this is expected to rise to 380 million within 20 years. [2]
  2. Around 90-95% suffer from type 2 diabetes. [2]
  3. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that leads to elevated blood sugar levels that are damaging to your health.
  4. Poorly controlled diabetes can cause complications such as blindness, heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, amputations, coma and premature death.
  5. The incidence of diabetes is increasing on an epidemic scale, causing major clinical and financial challenges to healthcare systems globally
  6. Type 1 diabetes is treated with insulin, and by maintenance of a regulated diet. Insulin is typically delivered through injections at regular intervals throughout the day, which can be uncomfortable and inconvenient. Currently there is no oral insulin treatment available on the market.
  7. For many, type 2 diabetes can be controlled with diet alone, but medication is used when diet does not provide adequate control. Although oral anti-diabetic treatments are available for sufferers of type 2, the efficacy of such drugs is limited and none of these work by delivering insulin, the natural blood glucose controlling hormone, to the liver.

References:

[1] Science Museum (20 December, 2007) "Insulin pill for diabetics goes on display at the Science Museum". Available from: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/about_us/press_and_media/press_releases/2007/12/insulin_pill_for_diabetics.aspx

[2] International Diabetes Federation (n.d.) “What is Diabetes?”. Available from: http://www.idf.org/home/index.cfm?node=2

ENDS

For more information contact:

Dr Roger New
Chief Scientific Officer
Diabetology Limited

Tel: +44 (0)781 806 8012
Email: rn@diabetology.co.uk

Timothy P. Broke-Smith
Corporate Development Officer
Diabetology Limited

Tel: +44 (0)20 7193 8363
Email: t.broke-smith@diabetology.co.uk