People with Type 2 diabetes might soon be popping a stick of chewing into their mouths to get their daily dose of diabetes medication. Generex Biotechnology Corporation, based in Toronto, Cananda, has begun a bioequivalency trial with MetControl™, the company’s proprietary Metformin medicinal chewing gum product.

The protocol is an open-label, two-treatment, two-period, randomized, crossover study that will compare MetControl™ chewing gum with immediate release Metformin tablets in healthy volunteers. Metformin is a generic drug used to regulate blood glucose levels by reducing glucose production by the liver and improving the insulin sensitivity of cells. Thus, the insulin that is produced by the body is used more effectively and ultimately reduces the amount of glucose in the blood.

     As the most prescribed drug for treating Type 2 diabetes, Metformin is effective in regulating blood glucose however it is not without side effects, which include gastrointestinal distress in the form of bloating and gas, and large pill size and bitter taste making it difficult to swallow.  Given the epidemic increase of Type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents, a diabetes medication in the form of a good tasting chewing gum could be just what the doctor ordered, making the drug more acceptable to patient of all ages and increasing compliance with their therapy.