Sydney, Sept 25, 2006 (ABN Newswire) - Diabetes authority applauds Australian "needle-free treatment" breakthrough One of Australia's top diabetes specialists has praised Sydney-based biotech company Apollo Life Sciences' work to develop an insulin that can be taken as a tablet rather injected, calling needle-free insulin "the Holy Grail" in diabetes treatment.

Professor Paul Zimmet AO is director of the International Diabetes Institute, which will conduct clinical trials of Apollo's cutting-edge oral insulin.

If the trials are successful, this could mean an end to injections for many people with diabetes," Prof Zimmet said.

"Currently, people with insulin-requiring diabetes need up to 1,500 insulin shots a year to stay alive."

Tests in diabetic rats have already indicated that Apollo's oral insulin works as effectively as injected insulin in lowering and managing blood sugar levels. "I was very impressed with the data," Prof Zimmet said.

"We're very excited about the opportunity to carry out clinical trials with the Apollo formulation. It appears that they have a jump on the rest of the competition. "

Apollo's Director of Science, Dr Greg Russell-Jones, said that the oral insulin is a major breakthrough because the stomach's digestive acids usually destroy insulin before it can be absorbed by the body.

"Apollo's formula overcomes this problem with a protective coating," Dr Russell-Jones said. "This home-grown discovery has the potential to revolutionise diabetes treatment. The global market for diabetes medication is worth $18 billion a year," he said.

Diabetes affects almost 1 million Australians, and 100,000 people develop the disease each year. This figure is predicted to grow as Type II diabetes becomes more prevalent.

Prof Zimmet confirmed Apollo's development appears to be well ahead of its competitors. "The Holy Grail remains the possibility of an oral form. There has been huge investment around the world, with very little success to date," he said.

"But Apollo has developed a technology that gets a significant amount of insulin through the stomach into the bloodstream."

"The data I've seen so far makes this one of the most forward-looking and best prospects of an oral insulin coming to fruition," Prof Zimmet said.