Could insulin shots one day be a thing of the past?

BOSTON - Could insulin shots one day be replaced with a pill? Insulin can't be taken orally because it degrades easily in the acidic environment of the stomach.

But researchers in Melbourne, Australia have designed a new oral capsule with an outer coating that allows it to pass through the stomach unharmed and break down in the small intestine where insulin wrapped in fats can then cross the intestinal wall.

Early testing has been encouraging and scientists say the capsule could one day provide a non-invasive, pain-free way for people with diabetes to take their insulin.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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