It lowers blood sugar by helping your muscles and fat use sugar and by telling your liver to make less sugar.
It is approved to improve blood sugar control in adults and in children 6 and older with diabetes.
You must use it only with the Afrezza inhaler.
This is not an injection. You take it right when you begin eating. This approval now includes younger people. The FDA cleared Afrezza for children and teens 6 to 18 years old who have type 1 diabetes (T1D) or type 2 diabetes (T2D). That makes Afrezza another mealtime choice for some families who want an option that is inhaled instead of injected.
Why Was It Approved?
In studies of adults with T1D, Afrezza was used at meals together with a long-acting basal insulin. It met the study goal for being close enough to injected rapid-acting insulin for A1c change, but the injected option lowered A1c more. In adults with T2D already taking oral diabetes medicines, Afrezza reduced A1c more than placebo. These results supported that Afrezza can help manage after‑meal blood sugar. Afrezza was also studied in children and teens 6 to 17. When added to basal insulin, Afrezza did not match injected mealtime insulin for A1c change at 26 weeks, which was the main goal of that study. Lung function changes on breathing tests were similar between groups over that time. Overall, safety in kids looked like what was seen in adults. Side effects to know about include low blood sugar, cough, and throat pain or irritation. Serious low blood sugar can happen. In studies of T1D, diabetic ketoacidosis (a dangerous buildup of acids in the blood) happened more often with Afrezza than with the other treatments studied. If you have T1D, you should always use Afrezza together with a basal insulin.
What Do I Need to Know?
You inhale Afrezza at the start of each meal using only the Afrezza inhaler. Your health care provider will train you on how to use it. After training, some older children may be able to use it on their own if the health care provider agrees. Replace the inhaler about every 15 days.
