text_1: Oramed says oral insulin succeeds in midstage type 2 diabetes trial
text_2: This is a brief story on findings from a phase II trial of a new oral insulin medication conducted by Oramed, a pharmaceutical company. The story gives us the basics on the study design and findings. It’s made clear that the drug must undergo further testing before it’s approved for use. The only commentary, though, was from the CEO. Given the nature of the research–unpublished and coming directly from a pharmaceutical company–an outside source would have made this story stronger. (We also reviewed the news release this story seems to be based on.) The worldwide occurrence of diabetes is about 400 million people, 90 percent of whom have type II diabetes. Many of these people eventually have to supplement their oral medications with injected insulin. Previously, oral delivery of insulin was considered impossible because the drug degrades in the digestive system, but Oramed believes they have overcome this problem.