Recent advancements on novel approaches of insulin delivery

A large number of populations are living with diabetes, which is the most common endocrine disorder which is classified into Type-I and Type-II diabetes. Diabetes is one of the listed diseases specified in Section 3 of the Drug and Magic Remedies Act, 1954, where advertisement of drugs for certain diseases has been prohibited. It can be managed or controlled with proper diagnosis and treatment and by changing food habits. In addition to therapy with oral hypoglycemic agents, patients are also given subcutaneous insulin injections which is traditionally used in diabetes therapy. This multi-dose injectable therapy has relatively low patient compliance. To avoid the associated drawbacks with this therapy, several other delivery techniques, including oral, buccal, rectal, transdermal and pulmonary routes were investigated for effective insulin delivery. Several novel techniques along with novel devices are discussed in this review. The recent development in insulin delivery and products going through various phases of clinical trials are focused here. This review enumerates how the investigation, recent technology, and developments in research played a pivotal role in the treatment of diabetes in near future with alternative, safe, and efficient insulin delivery.