Biodel receives research grants from JDRF

DANBURY, Conn. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation has given two research grants to drug maker Biodel to study a fast-acting brand of insulin in the treatment of Type 1 diabetes, Biodel said Monday.

The first grant will support research at the Stanford University School of Medicine to compare the effects of Biodel’s VIAject with Humalog (insulin lispro) on after-meal blood sugar levels, while the second will support research at Oregon Health and Science University to investigate VIAject’s ability to improve closed-loop – also known as artificial pancreas – glycemic control in patients. Biodel will receive more than $400,000 and will supply VIAject to the two universities.

“The goal of these projects is to evaluate whether an ultra-rapid-acting insulin can safely improve glycemic control for Type 1 diabetes patients and do so with less direct medical supervision,” Biodel chief medical officer Alan Krasner said. “We are pleased to be working with leading endocrinologists at Stanford and OHSU on this research and thank JDRF for its support of these important studies.”