HEALTH REPORT - U.S. Drug Agency Urged to Approve Inhaled In

HEALTH REPORT - U.S. Drug Agency Urged to Approve Inhaled¹ Insulin for Diabetics
By Cynthia Kirk

Broadcast: Wednesday, October 19, 2005

I'm Shep O'Neal with the VOA Special English Health Report.

 
Many people must inject insulin to control their blood sugar levels
There may be an easier way for many people with diabetes² to take insulin to control their blood sugar levels. Diabetics who now need daily injections may one day be able to take their insulin by mouth. They would breathe it as a powder into their lungs, through a mouthpiece device.

The inhaled insulin is called Exubera. The drug companies Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis and Nektar Therapeutics developed it. They say it is generally as effective as the injected form in controlling blood sugar levels. But they say it should not always be used in place of longer-lasting injections of insulin.

Last month, an advisory³ committee of the United States Food and Drug Administration urged the agency to approve Exubera. The committee voted seven-to-two to support approval for both type one and type two diabetes. The F.D.A. generally follows the advice of its committees, but does not have to.

Some members of the committee expressed concern about possible safety risks, especially to people with lung disease. Smokers⁴ would probably not be able to use the inhaled insulin. But there are questions about the safety for people who breathe a lot of tobacco smoke in the air. The drug makers⁵ have proposed to study the long-term effects until two thousand nineteen.

Insulin is a hormone⁶. The body needs it to change food into energy. With diabetes, the body produces no insulin or makes poor use of the limited amounts that are produced.

Diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke and blindness. Feet or legs may lose blood flow and have to be removed.

Diabetics must be careful to control the sugar levels in their blood. But many people do not know they have diabetes. And no one knows what causes it.

The most common form is called type two diabetes. It was formerly⁷ called adult-onset diabetes. The body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Being overweight and not getting exercise increase the risk of type two diabetes. Some cases can be treated with pills. But millions of diabetics need several daily injections of insulin.

Less than ten percent of diabetics have type one diabetes. This is caused by the destruction of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. It was formerly called juvenile⁸ diabetes, but it can happen at any age.

Pregnant women may develop gestational diabetes, which can be temporary.

This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Cynthia Kirk. I'm Shep O'Neal.

1 inhaled   

v.吸入( inhale的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. 她合上双眼，深深吸了一口气。
• Janet inhaled sharply when she saw him. 珍妮特看到他时猛地吸了口气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

3 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

4 smokers   

吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily. 许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking. 烟鬼似乎不在乎吸烟带来的种种危害。

5 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

7 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

8 juvenile   

n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的

参考例句：

• For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner.身为成年人，他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。
• Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。