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Afrezza inhaled fast acting insulin

My T1 (since age 4) partner has imported some Afrezza into Australia and is video blogging the journey. Now he's getting the hang of it - it's absolutely incredible. It seems he's the first to use it with the FreeStyle Libre - so no finger pricks and no injections (except Lantus).

The thread he is posting in is here:

http://www.realitycheck.org.au/RCforum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12552

Post him questions or experiments you'd like him to try. He's really keen to get the most out of this (expensive) experiment.
 
capsicum,

Thank you for your post and link to Matt's Vimeo video. Matt may be the first person to be using Afrezza down under. Has Matt been in touch with Sam Finta? Sam has a group of Afrezza users who communicate about their Afrezza experiences. Sam was in the Afrezza clinical trial and may be the first American to use Afrezza when it first became commercially available last February.

Here are two links, one to Sam's blog and one to his Twitter page. It would be great if Matt became a part of that group. A lot of T1s and T2s follow their progress. I think there may also be one user from Canada there although Afrezza is not yet available in Canada.

http://afrezzauser.com
https://twitter.com/afrezzauser

Last, could Matt upload his video to YouTube in addition to Vimeo? YouTube is also a great way to let folks know about his experience.

Do you guys have any idea when Afrezza might be available in Australia?
 
Afrezza is produced by a company called Mannkind. Sanofi was responsible to help market Afrezza, but their lackluster release was a disaster. Most doctors in the US have never heard of Afrezza. To write a prescription script, they are required to do a spirometer test to check lung function. Guess what? Endocrinologists in the US don't typically have a spirometer. Next they said insurance companies weren't accepting scripts for it because it costs more than injected insulin. I've been on it for 6 months and it's the best drug yet for diabetes, type 1 and type 2. Pediatric testing is now underway. Should be approved for Europe soon.
 
However, and I'm in the middle of writing a blog post about it, be aware that it is highly unlikely to appear on the NHS prescribing list for most people. It costs twice as much as Apidra, which is in itself an expensive rapid acting insulin, and the Phase III trials that have been conducted haven't shown the dramatic improvements in Hba1C with the use of Afrezza that would need to be shown to justify the cost.

To many clinicians, it will be seen as a luxury item rather than a necessity, and the current NHS outlook in terms of prescription is "Uncertain".

Given the difficulties with getting hold of Tresiba, don't expect Afrezza any time soon in the UK.
 
Afrezza showed that it was not inferior in trials to injectable insulin. However trial participants were not allowed the freedom to adjust doses and had to stay within very defined parameters which is fair to keep results consistent and reliable. When the FDA approved Afrezza in the States, the same people were able to adjust their treatments and are getting HbA1cs in the 5.0s without any lows. There is lots online about it. Check out afrezzauser.com
 
Hi there just an update since my last posting. I am living in the UK and I have purchased Afrezza from the USA. I have had a life changing experience using it. My levels have been flat and my energy soared within a few days of first usage. It gets to work like insulin in a pancreas and peaks within 15 minutes and is used up within an hour in me so no lows! My levels have been completely flat. Interestingly I have improved sensation in my hands and feet too. I never knew I had a problem here. Everyone is different with diabetes. I am Type 1 and use Tresiba as my trusted basal. Afrezza is truly amazing. I had no problems inhaling and my diabetic friend in the States helped me with it. His name is Sam Finta. I have spoken with my endo in Eastbourne about it and Prof Amiel at Kings in London. I saw a post by Fallongerie but apologies if I am incorrect but she doesn't appear to know anything about it and I have tried numerous times to engage with her to no avail so take that as you will. I have contacted and spoken to Sanofi UK and it's not available over here at this time. I am happy to share my experience or answer questions.
 
Well I finally got my hands on some Afrezza and gave it a go. Very interesting it is too. I was very impressed. I've written about it on my blog at http://www.diabettech.com but suffice to say it's the fastest insulin I've ever used and hugely impressive. Having read a vast amount on the lung safety of it before embarking on the adventure, I'm also as certain as I can be that it is unlikely to cause COPD or Lung Cancer, based on the evidence available for both Afrezza and Exubera.
 
I have been using Afrezza for some months now in the UK. I have imported it from America. My life has been changed. It is amazing. Novorapid and Humalog keep us alive but don't address glycaemic variability and quality of life. Afrezza puts diabetes firmly back in its box.
 
Sanofi are not involved in marketting Afrezza from 4th April this year. It falls back in its maker's hands, Mannkind. We expect the price to fall dramatically so don't give you hope Tim!
 

Hi Brendan, do you have a link? I would like to try it myself.
 
trust me it does not need to be shipped refrigerated
 
You guys when you try Afrezza you will not believe the difference. I am running out on Sunday. As a point of info for all I found that I needed more background because the insulin does not hang around as long as Humalog or Novorapid. This is a really good thing. I run at 3,8mmol-5 mmol and have no worries about lows or passing out because my profile is completely level. Billytrack, try if you can to get a month supply I would suggest 2 8u and 4 4u I use Tresiba every night at 11pm and I went from 35 units to currently 46 units to keep my glucose stable between meals. Then Afrezza kicks in when I eat. I get great energy from every bit of food I eat and my high glucose after my meals is completely destroyed. I am using a Freestyle Libre and it's 6.30pm on a Friday evening and I feel so full of energy. You don't realise how bad injectable 'rapid' acting insulins are because I have found that my health has gradually disimproved over the years and along comes Afrezza and totally transforms me. I have been trying to get it out there with endocrinologists in London and Eastbourne. I am obviously talking to the wrong people. I have been using Afrezza since September. In October the doc identified problems in my eyes despite my HbA1c being between 6-7% for the last few years. HbA1c does not take account of glucose variability and this is a major cause of complications. You can have levels of 3mmol and 17mmol and still have a HbA1c in the 6%. According to the doc I am well controlled on Humalog so why then do I feel so tired and **** most of the time and why do I have a problem with my eyes. If the eye doc says I need to look after my glucose levels more, there is a good chance I will hit the guy or at the very least tell him what he can do with his advice.
 
I do not support acts of violence by the way but doctors need to get real and stop treating sufferers of diabetes the way they do. It is a chronic disease and the right treatments that ARE available are not being made available to us here in the UK. THis is very sad for someone who has taken a mature approach to diabetes for a very long time.
 
Billytrack if you want some help with it I am happy to answer any of your questions and steer you in the right direction. You can PM me your mobile number or email if you would like to. Afrezzausers need to stick together. I can share my experience with you and it is positive for you, that would be brilliant!
 
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