Novo starts first insulin pill test in bid to replace injection

Novo Nordisk A/S started the first human tests on an experimental insulin pill, joining companies seeking to develop an alternative to daily injections for diabetics who need the hormone to control their disease. The trial, involving 80 people, will include diabetics and healthy volunteers so researchers can determine whether the medication is safe and how it works in the human body, the Bagsvaerd, Denmark-based company said in a statement today. Novo is using Merrion Pharmaceuticals Plc’s Gipet technology to enable insulin to permeate the intestinal wall. Diabetics don’t produce enough of the sugar-regulating hormone that is normally injected into the body to make up for the deficit. Pen-like injections, syringes and pumps dominate the market, and needle-free methods of delivering insulin have proven elusive.