MannKind Corporation (NASDAQ:MNKD) has announced that it will support the victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico by donating its Afrezza insulin to diabetic patients in the island.
The biopharma made the announcement yesterday revealing that Afrezza will be delivered to diabetic patients in Puerto Rico through the American Family Airlift (AFA) relief organization. The latter is ideal for the mission because it was founded by Puerto Rican natives, Dr. Cesar Sierra and Hector Hoyos with a mission of helping those in need. It is an ideal partnership because the local relief organization is the one best suited to distribute the provisions to the areas where it knows people will access them with ease.
“Puerto Rico has one of the highest percentages of adults with diabetes in the United States. It is our duty to help. Hundreds of thousands of residents have been significantly impacted by Hurricane Maria, many of them with diabetes. With so many people unable to gain access to their medical supplies, having access to an inhaled insulin such as Afrezza, can provide support to adults living with diabetes in the affected communities,” stated MannKind’s CEO, Michael Castagna.
Afrezza is a rapid-acting inhaled insulin exclusively sold via prescription. The treatment is used to enhance glycemic control in adult patients suffering from diabetes. The fact that it is an inhaled insulin means application is easy and does not require intensive training. The recent announcement also marks the second time in two months that the biopharma has announced Afrezza donations.
Castagna stated that recovering from a natural disaster such as the one caused by Hurricane Maria is a huge challenge. He hopes that the support that his company has offered will provide significant relief to people with diabetes as they recover from the devastating hurricane. There was a lot of damage to homes and infrastructure and this has made it quite difficult to access medical supplies. Donating supplies and having them delivered to remote areas is a great idea and a significant step towards empowering those that have been affected.
MannKind stock closed the latest trading session on Thursday at $5.47.
