The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Biodel a grant for the development of concentrated ultra-rapid-acting insulin formulations for use in an artificial pancreas, also known as a closed loop pump system.The two-year, $582,473 grant, is intended to fund research to develop Biodel’s proprietary ultra-rapid-acting insulin product candidate at high concentrations suited to provide sufficient quantities of insulin in an external artificial pancreas pump device that has a limited volume capacity.
Currently, regular insulin at concentrations of 500 units per milliliter is used to treat extremely insulin resistant patients with diabetes. While these formulations are 5-times more concentrated than typical insulin presentations, they have a prolonged duration of action that may be undesirable for use with an artificial pancreas.
Concentrated formulations of Biodel’s ultra-rapid-acting insulin may be absorbed more rapidly than existing concentrated insulin formulations and may therefore become an important component of an effective step in the development of an artificial pancreas.
