Anyway, my question is mostly directed to those who has more indepth knowledge in this or are in the medical field. Is there a potential danger to prolonged use of inhaled insulin (such as maybe decreased effectiveness after prolonged use, etc)?

Ibarz,

The biggest concern that I have heard is the effect that the inhaled insulin may have on the lungs. People who take Exubera will have to inhale multiple doses per day for the rest of their lives. No one knows how this will affect lung function over the long term. For this reason, prudence suggests that it not be use in those with asthma, COPD, etc. The other potential problem is that while inhaled insulin may more readily gain patient acceptance, it remains to be seen whether their blood glucose control will be as good as with injectable insulin. That is the bottom-line with any diabetic therapy - will it lower the blood glucose level so that the chronic and acute complications of diabetes are avoided.

The problem with studies to approve chronic use medication is that 1-2 years simply isn't enough time and there usually aren't enough patients to assess long term consequences in large populations. This is why there is always risk with new drugs that no trial can adequately address. See Vioxx.

S