New Delhi | Drug firm Cipla on Monday said it has launched orally inhaled insulin powder for diabetes patients in the country.

The company had obtained regulatory approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) late last year for the exclusive distribution and marketing of Afrezza, a rapid-acting orally inhaled insulin, which offers a needle-free, convenient alternative to injectable insulin therapy.

The launch of the product in India is expected to benefit many of the 10 crore adults currently living with diabetes mellitus, the Mumbai-based drug major said in a statement.

The insulin inhalation powder in Afrezza is available in single-use cartridges and is delivered via an inhaler device, it added. The process of inhaling insulin is simple — selecting the appropriate dose cartridge, loading the cartridge in the inhaler device, inhaling the insulin from the device and removing the cartridge from the device.

It is typically initiated with the largest meal of the day and can be intensified as needed.

'This innovation not only simplifies insulin delivery but also eases many of the emotional and practical barriers patients face with daily insulin injections,” Cipla Global Chief Operating Officer Achin Gupta stated.