The Israeli pharmaceutical company Oramed is on the verge of developing an oral insulin pill that would be an alternative to such pens. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Israel’s Oramed Pharmaceuticals is on the brink of developing a new oral insulin pill that could revolutionize Type 2 diabetes treatment, Israel21c reported.

The pill, which would replace the current method of self-injecting insulin, mimics the natural way insulin is ingested into the body through the mouth. It could help an estimated 371 million people worldwide who are affected by Type 2 diabetes.

Oramed was founded in 2006 by Dr. Miram Kidron, based on her 25 years of research on diabetes at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Media Center. Her son Nadav Kidron is the president and CEO of the company. The insulin pill is designed to target adult diabetics who are not yet insulin dependent, according to Globes.

“We wanted to do more than just replace injections — we wanted to provide an alternative oral medication as an earlier treatment that can extend the second phase [of diabetes progression] and prevent patients from becoming insulin dependent,” Kidron told Israel21c. “That’s the revolution.”

Phase 2 clinical trials are scheduled to begin in the United States.

Oramed also has other diabetes medications in the pipeline, including one that will help balance blood sugar and control appetite—since many people with Type 2 diabetes are overweight.