Aerogen

Aerogen, the Galway based aerosol drug delivery company, has announced a drug delivery partnership with San Francisco biotech company Dance Pharmaceuticals to develop a next generation inhaled insulin product which would see an end to the numerous insulin injections which diabetic patients currently endure.

This innovative product will be based upon Aerogen’s patented OnQ™ aerosol technology, which enables drugs to be nebulised into a fine particle mist that can be absorbed through the lungs while maintaining drug integrity.  Under the terms of this agreement Aerogen has granted Dance an exclusive worldwide license to their aerosol technology for insulin delivery and will receive development costs and an ongoing royalty stream on all future insulin sales.

Diabetes affects over 200,000 people in Ireland alone, and this number is on the increase.  In fact, the number of patients worldwide is expected to grow more than 50 percent over the next 20 years. According to studies done by the US National Institutes of Health, better glucose control through treatment with insulin can extend life expectancy and significantly reduce the cost to the healthcare system of managing diabetes and its complications.  

“Dance’s team of inhaled insulin experts considered all potential aerosol technologies worldwide and chose Aerogen’s technology because we’re convinced it’s the best, most patient-friendly technology for our first inhaled insulin product. Aerogen has done an outstanding job optimizing technology performance and achieving low cost production,” said John S. Patton, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Dance Pharma.  “Most diabetics avoid taking insulin for years because the treatment requires multiple daily injections. The consequences for the patient and the healthcare system due to that kind of delay are dramatic. Our mission at Dance is to provide inhaled insulin in patient friendly, low cost form to patients throughout the world.” 

Aerogen’s Managing Director John Power feels the time is now right to finally enable the delivery of an aerosol solution that diabetes sufferers have so long waited for.  “We already know from many previous studies that inhaled insulin can be safely and successfully delivered across the lung with a much faster bio-availability than injected insulin.”  In the past, Power argues, failure to establish inhaled insulin had more to do with commercial rather than clinical issues.  “The potential remains to address one of the greatest medical needs of our time and it is incumbent upon us as life-science professionals that we strive to meet this challenge.”