Technosphere® Insulin (TI) is an inhaled insulin with a rapid rate of onset and short duration of action that has been shown to improve glycemic control in adult patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Unfamiliarity with TI dosing has limited use of TI among prescribers and patients. BluHale is a digital diabetes platform capable of enhancing user and prescriber experience with TI. A cartridge color detector embedded within BluHale V2.0 monitors usage of TI. A proof-of-concept single-patient study involving BluHale V2.0 was performed to provide insights into TI usage.
A 63-year-old male patient with type 1 DM who had been using mealtime TI for 3 years utilized BluHale V2.0 during TI self-administration for 21 days. Blood glucose levels were monitored via continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and overlaid with dose monitoring output from BluHale V2.0.
The volunteer self-administered TI while using BluHale V2.0 for 21 days, during which the average number of TI administrations was 6 per day. Rapid reductions in glucose levels immediately following administration were observed. A dose-recommendation algorithm was developed and retroactively applied to the BluHale/CGM data based on blood glucose levels. The data suggested the volunteer often administered TI at a dose or time that was late or when glucose levels were already out of range.
BluHale V2.0 technology provides the ability to visualize dosing information overlaid with CGM data. This technology has the potential to improve dosing behaviors and reveal nonoptimal dosing behaviors, allowing patients to optimize their time in range.