Collegiate Times

Before eating a healthy lunch with friends, Megan Fisher, a senior mechanical engineering major, slipped away quietly to check her insulin pump, a tedious chore she must perform before every meal. Diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 12, Fisher has become accustomed to the painful pricks of insulin pens and the annoying inconsistencies of insulin pumps.

?(Diabetes) is what I call a high-maintenance disorder, it?s always there, it?s never going to go away and I can?t take a break from it,? she said.

Fortunately for Fisher, and the estimated 21 million Americans with diabetes, on Jan. 27, the Federal Drug Administration approved Pfizer Inc.?s product Exubera, the first inhalable form of insulin.

Unlike insulin pens and insulin pumps, which involve painful injections, Exubera orally distributes insulin to the lungs. In clinical tests, Pfizer reported that Exubera maintained blood sugar levels just as well as the traditional insulin treatments.

The suggested success rate of the inhalant may attract diabetics who in the past experienced problems with other forms of regulating insulin.

Christopher Windmuller, a freshman university studies major, intimately understands the pressures of being a diabetic college student. On top of cramming for calculus tests and analyzing matrices, he regulates his food intake and constantly checks his blood sugars.

His insulin pump only adds to the burden.

?The more active I am, the more problems I have with my pump. If I?m moving around a lot or exercising, the tube will fall out and I won?t realize, causing some problems,? he said.

Fisher also has complaints.

?One problem with the pump is that the insulin can get clogged in the tube without warning and the insulin won?t enter the body. Once the insulin is released, the amount is skewed and the situation can be threatening,? she said.

Fisher also explained that the insulin pump is a very invasive treatment, forcing her to inject a tube like an I.V. every few days. The injections leave scars on her stomach that control her attire.

?I don?t wear two-piece bathing suits,? she said.

According to Vicki Bierman, a certified nurse practitioner at Schiffert Health Center, because the inhalable insulin is fast-acting, the product may be most useful in emergency situations. She is weary, however, about diabetics completely shifting to the new product.

?I would hesitate to prescribe the inhaled insulin until tried and tested more. Because it is inhaled there may be an increase in respiratory infections or lung disease due to inhalant,? she said.

Aware of the possible health hazards involved ? Exubera places obese people and smokers at a greater risk ? Windmuller has been preparing for the approval of the product.

?I?ve kept in shape and I eat healthy so I can be in a prime position for the insulin inhalence to work,? he said.

Fisher also said she would try the product despite the possible health risks.

?I would go for it. If I did have some side effects, then I would know it wasn?t for me and I?d go back to the pump. But just because there are potential problems wouldn?t prohibit me from trying it,? she said.

Diabetics can plan on purchasing Exubera by mid-year.