Cambridge biotech makes diabetes breakthrough

A small biotech company from Cambridgeshire has discovered a new way to deliver insulin, marking a technical breakthrough that could change the lives of people with type-two diabetes.

Some people with diabetes currently have to inject insulin several times a day. The new technology could lead to smaller volumes of doses and fewer daily injections.

It could also enable "miniaturised" insulin delivery devices for type-two diabetics.

Arecor, which was spun out of Unilever 14 years ago, has found a way to reformulate and stabilise insulin so that it can be administered at very high concentrations, but still be absorbed quickly into the body, a combination that, until now, has evaded scientists.

Shares in Arecor surged by a third to 331p with analysts saying "it is better than even the most positive outcome we had anticipated". The company listed on the Aim in June, raising £20m.

The results from the phase one study beat expectations, with the glucose-lowering properties of the technology even better than existing gold-standard treatment.

Sarah Howell, chief executive, said: "What is unique here is it has the potential to be the first ultra-concentrated insulin - so at 500 units per millilitre - and also ultra-rapid acting insulin available to patients, so we've been able to overcome the challenge of when you concentrate the insulin it slows down absorption."

Dr David Cox, a director at City broker Panmure Gordon, said: "Higher concentration insulins normally have slower glucose lowering action, but Arecor's technology has enabled a faster action. This insulin profile is highly attractive for the type-two diabetes market and could even mean that patients with type-two diabetes can use insulin pumps to manage their condition."