The Evolving Landscape of Insulin Delivery in Diabetes Management

Over 100 years after the first successful insulin injection, advancements in diabetes care have saved lives and made the disease increasingly more manageable as the years go by. However, challenges, barriers to access, and many more factors continue to lead to poor diabetes outcomes such as hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.

All of these ongoing developments underscore the importance of insulin management in diabetes care.

“Insulin is a very narrow therapeutic window. It's not an easy drug to give and to take,” Diana Isaacs, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, BC-ADM, CDCES, director of education and training in diabetes technology at the Cleveland Clinic, told Drug Topics. “In terms of challenges, what we're trying to do with insulin is to mimic the body's physiologic response. But it turns out, it's very challenging to do that, even with all of the different types of insulins that we have.”

Serving as a returning guest on the Over the Counter podcast, Isaacs recently joined Drug Topics to discuss the importance of insulin delivery, the pharmacist’s role, advancements in this space, and so much more. From her extensive background in diabetes to her work in the community as a pharmacist, Isaacs provided insights into the most notable developments in patients’ diabetes journeys, with a specific focus on the power of insulin.

But despite all the ongoing developments, Isaacs believes more can still be done to maximize improved diabetes outcomes.

“We have certainly made a lot of advances,” she said. “What I would almost ultimately love to see is a truly glucose-targeted insulin that just works when the glucose is high, and is truly physiologic, so that someone doesn't have hypoglycemia or is not at risk of hypoglycemia.”

Stay tuned for weekly podcast episodes on Over the Counter every Thursday afternoon. Check out our previous episode with Brett Barker, PharmD, state representative in Iowa’s 51st District. Joining to discuss Iowa’s recent passing of Senate File 383, Barker provided insights into the impacts state-level PBM reform can have on federal policy.

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Reference

The history of a wonderful thing we call insulin. American Diabetes Association. July 1, 2019. Accessed July 17, 2025. https://diabetes.org/blog/history-wonderful-thing-we-call-insulin