What exactly is the Technosphere® Platform?

One of the largest organs in your body are the lungs. Picture the size of a full tennis court and that is roughly the surface area of both lungs in a typical adult. Running through those lungs are airways whose total length measures 1,500 miles – that’s the distance between Chicago and Las Vegas, New York to Albuquerque, and Los Angeles to Nashville.

Simply put, the lungs create a wonderful platform for effective drug delivery. MannKind’s Technosphere technology recognizes this and provides the distinct advantage of rapid, deep lung drug delivery. The effect is similar to intravenous delivery (I.V.; within a vein) and has the added benefit of bypassing the liver which can be especially helpful in reducing systemic side effects.

Examining it closer, it helps to look at inhalation, air flow travel, and the exhale. When you breathe in, air is drawn into the lung and flows down curving, narrowing airways that end in the air sacs or alveoli. When air is exhaled, the flow is reversed. Between the end of an inhalation and the start of exhalation, the air in the lung is stationary. To reach the deep lung, inhaled particles must be carried by the air stream and have enough momentum to continue through the stationary air to collide with the lung surface.

Particles that can reach the lung have aerodynamic diameters between 0.5 µm and 5-6 µm (1 µm is 1 micro-meter or about 0.00004 inches). Particles that are larger than 6 µm will leave the air stream and hit the back of your mouth and throat; smaller than 0.5 µm wouldn’t have the ability to reach the lungs and would simply get exhaled.

“The average Technosphere particle is about 2-2.5 µm which is in the middle of the respirable range,” explains Marshall Grant, PhD, MSc, Executive Director, Clinical Pharmacology & Research for MannKind Corporation. “The particle size distribution is a major reason Technosphere powders are highly efficient in delivering drug to the lungs than other dry powder inhalers (DPIs).”

The Technosphere particles in FDA-approved Afrezza® (insulin human) Inhalation Powder and Tyvaso DPI™ (treprostinil) Inhalation Powder are manufactured by different processes and possess different characteristics. But both are made up of small crystals of FDKP (fumaryl diketopiperazine), MannKind’s proprietary molecule. FDKP provides high solubility and fast dissolution at physiologic pH – and more importantly – can crystallize and form particles in the range appropriate for optimum delivery to the lungs.

When Technosphere powder reaches the lung surface, the FDKP and drug dissolve. The FDKP is then rapidly cleared from the lung into systemic circulation. The FDKP is not metabolized, but rather excreted primarily in the urine. Another value of Technosphere powders has been their versatility – they are compatible with a wide range of doses with different types of drugs.

MannKind’s Technosphere powders are delivered into the lung’s airstream via an inhalation device or DPI (dry powder inhaler). The breath-powered inhalers (Dreamboat® being the most common version) provide excellent delivery efficiency and are proven to deliver up to 70% of the dry-powder dose deep into the lungs. Our DPI are designed to be simple, easy to use and discreet. For patients, imagine having a drug in the convenient form of an inhaler that fits in the palm of your hand. This approach allows patients to not only take control of their health but do it while going about their day and enjoying life more humann.

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NTM Lung Disease on the Rise

“I cough every morning upon waking, so I don’t feel rested.” “Imagine not being able to breathe.” “Anxiety ruins everything about you – it’s not a normal life.” “You just exist from day to day and week to week.” These are a sampling of comments about the most bothersome symptoms from living with Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) shared in a study from NTM Info & Research, Inc. The statements are unfortunately typical and those with NTM often have unpredictable day-to-day health functioning and reduced quality of life.

NTM lung disease is a serious infection that is caused by bacteria that are common in the environment and can cause lung damage. The reality is that we are all exposed to these bacteria in our day-to-day lives – more than 120 species of mycobacteria have been identified. These common bacteria exist in water and soil particles that are in the air, wet places like hot tubs, steamy bathrooms, dishwashers, and even the dewy ground we walk on at the park. But not everyone is at risk of getting NTM lung disease just because they are exposed.

Those predisposed often have underlying conditions such as asthma, COPD, and bronchiectasis, which makes them prone to NTM infection. NTM is not considered to be contagious. Women over the age of 65 make up the majority of those impacted, with a predominance in those of Caucasian and Asian descent.

A rare disease, NTM can often be difficult to diagnose. Many will experience coughing, fatigue, weight loss and shortness of breath – all of which are common with other lung disease symptoms and other conditions like tuberculosis. With NTM, symptoms often worsen, and that is a marker not to be ignored.

It is estimated that some 86,000 individuals are living with NTM lung diseases, and it is on the rise growing 8% each year. Coastal regions including Gulf States have higher rates of infection accounting for 70% of annual NTM cases.

While no cure is available, treatments to manage NTM are available. Treatment for NTM involves antibiotic and multidrug regimens with duration lasting from months to years with tolerability and adverse reactions to treatment which often leads to a lack of adherence to therapy.

There is a valuable need to develop medicines that are well tolerated and effective that lends to consistent patient use and alleviates symptoms of NTM lung disease. MannKind continues to progress MNKD-101 (Clofazimine) for the treatment of NTM.

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Release Details

Follow-up Safety Data Show AFREZZA(R) Comparable to Standard Antidiabetic Therapy in Lung Function Tests

04/23/10
PDF Version
Follow-up Safety Data Show AFREZZA(R) Comparable to Standard Antidiabetic Therapy in Lung Function Tests

BOSTON, Apr 23, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --Pulmonary function test results (PFTs) in patients treated with AFREZZA®  (insulin human [rDNA origin]) Inhalation Powder, a well-tolerated, ultra rapid acting insulin, at follow-up measurements were similar to PFT results observed in patients receiving standard antidiabetic therapy, according to data presented today at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists 19th Annual Meeting (Poster #267). Results from the follow-up study suggest that the pattern and magnitude of changes in lung function associated with the use of AFREZZA in patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are not likely due to any structural alterations in the lungs and are not clinically meaningful.

"Our findings add to the growing body of clinical evidence that indicates AFREZZA is comparable to standard of care insulin therapy in terms of lung safety," said Peter Richardson, MRCP, Corporate Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, MannKind Corporation. "We are encouraged by these PFT data, which support our belief that AFREZZA, clinically shown to provide glycemic control similar to standard therapy with less risk of hypoglycemia and weight gain, is a promising new option that may address a poorly-met need in diabetes treatment."

Diabetes, which affects 26.8 million people in the U.S., is characterized by the body's inability to properly regulate levels of blood glucose, or blood sugar. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, normally regulates the body's glucose levels, but in people with diabetes insufficient levels of insulin are produced (Type 1 diabetes) or the body fails to respond adequately to the insulin it produces (Type 2 diabetes). Historically, mealtime insulin therapy regimens have had a number of limitations, including the risk of severe hypoglycemia, the likelihood of weight gain, inadequate post-meal glucose control, the need for complex titration of insulin doses in connection with meals and the need for injections. Additionally, therapies have not mimicked the natural time-action profile of insulin normally seen in healthy individuals and presented challenges in maintaining compliance.

AFREZZA is a novel, ultra rapid acting mealtime insulin therapy being developed by MannKind Corporation for the treatment of adult patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes for the control of hyperglycemia. It is a drug-device combination product, consisting of AFREZZA Inhalation Powder pre-metered into single use dose cartridges and the light, discreet and easy-to-use AFREZZA Inhaler. Administered at the start of a meal, AFREZZA dissolves immediately upon inhalation and delivers insulin quickly to the blood stream. Peak insulin levels are achieved within 12 to 14 minutes of administration, mimicking the release of meal-time insulin observed in healthy individuals. To date, the AFREZZA clinical program has involved 49 different studies and over 5,000 adult patients.

Study Design and Key Findings

Findings were based on changes in pulmonary function after ending treatment with AFREZZA and resuming usual antidiabetic treatment in patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Adults with diabetes who participated in any of four controlled clinical trials of AFREZZA were invited to participate in this follow-up trial. Patients were followed for a total of up to three months with PFTs assessed at the end of the parent trial and one and three months after completion of the parent trial. Of the 649 patients in the study, 315 subjects received AFREZZA and 334 subjects received usual antidiabetic regimen without AFREZZA during the parent trials.

During the parent trials, small, non-progressive differences in mean changes from baseline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLCO) were observed in the AFREZZA group. During the follow-up trial, these changes disappeared, regardless of the duration of exposure to AFREZZA, when the groups were compared three months after ending treatment with AFREZZA and resuming usual antidiabetic therapy (FEV1: -0.08 L in the ex-AFREZZA group, -0.11 L in the non-AFREZZA group [p=0.1388]; DLCO: -1.29 mL/min/mm Hg in the ex-AFREZZA group, -1.37 mL/min/mm Hg in the non-AFREZZA group [p=0.9360]). There was also no statistical difference in FEV1 between the treatment groups when examining subjects with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes (p=0.6158 and p=0.1795, respectively).

About MannKind Corporation

MannKind Corporation (Nasdaq: MNKD) focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutic products for patients with diseases such as diabetes and cancer. Its diabetes pipeline includes AFREZZA® and MKC253. MKC253 is currently in phase 1 clinical trials. In March 2009, MannKind submitted an NDA to the FDA requesting approval of AFREZZA for the treatment of adults with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes for the control of hyperglycemia. In March 2010, MannKind received a Complete Response to this NDA from the FDA requesting additional information. Currently, AFREZZA remains under regulatory review. Other products in its pipeline include the cancer immunotherapy products MKC1106-PP and MKC1106-MT, which are currently in phase 1 clinical trials. MannKind maintains a website at http://www.mannkindcorp.com to which MannKind regularly posts copies of its press releases as well as additional information about MannKind. Interested persons can subscribe on the MannKind website to e-mail alerts that are sent automatically when MannKind issues press releases, files its reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission or posts certain other information to the website.

SOURCE: MannKind Corporation

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