In a pioneering research, Indian scientists have discovered a new form of insulin whose single shot could keep blood sugar levels of a person under control for more than a month.

India is considered to be the diabetes capital of the world, with as many as 50 million people suffering from this chronic disease. The effect of each insulin injection lasts at best for a day for diabetics.

The scientists at the state-owned National Immunology Institute spent two million rupees and it took them two years to come with this novel form of insulin. The scientists have already patented the technology and commercialized it.

"It is a multi-million dollar technology transfer agreement with royalties once the product goes to the market and if I am not wrong it is one of the biggest scientific innovations to have come from a government-owned research laboratory," Professor Avadhesha Surolia, the Director of the National Immunology Institute in the national capital, told the local TV channel NDTV.

For their research, the scientists treated natural human insulin at varying temperatures and chemical conditions and one such special formulation does the magic.

In experiments done on rats, mice and rabbits the team could control the sugar levels like these diabetic rats simply by giving an injection once every three months.

"Both conceptually and for clinical practice it is an exciting discovery because it uses natural chemically unchanged insulin and clinically it is useful because it provides ease for patients by reducing the number of pin pricks," Dr. Ambrish Mithal, Diabetologist and President of Endocrine Society of India, was quoted as saying.

It is not often that new drug is discovered in India, but its use in humans could still be many years away.

(Source: Xinhua)