A drug manufacturer has announced a new study project to analyze the effects of insulin on diabetes patients under which 60,000 people will be tested and sampled.

Code-named A1chieve, the study will examine the impact of insulin in Type-2 diabetes therapy and provide valuable relevant information on the effective use of modern insulin types across different treatment regimens.

Danish drug major Novo Nordisk is piloting the research project, touted as the largest ever in medical history for the study of diabetes. The drug major, which lead’s the world’s insulin market, is currently on a recruitment spree for the observational study that spans 28 countries in four continents.

"Multinational observational studies like A1chieve provide valuable insights in the way current therapies are applied when it comes to varying cultural, economic and epidemiological circumstances," says Philip Home, professor of Diabetes Medicine at Newcastle University England and chair of the A1chieve Global Advisory Board.

Diabetes is currently managed using drugs that imitate body's natural hormone insulin which is responsible for controlling glucose level in the blood. The patients who suffer from the disease lack adequate insulin quantity in the body to help it break down glucose into energy through the chemical process called metabolism.

When the body has a shortage of insulin, commercially available versions of the hormone are administered through injections to regulate the blood sugar levels in people suffering from diabetes.

These insulin preparations are used in various regimens based on an individual's need and as per the standards of medical practices of the regions.

Architects of A1chieve feel that though insulin is used widely with great results, it is important to evaluate these different regimens in a real life setting. As many as 70 per cent of the world's 285 million people diagnosed diabetes are living in these 28 emerging countries. Doctors in these countries are seeking new ways of diabetes management.

Once completed A1chieve will provide locally relevant information on the effective use of modern insulins across different regimens. This information could further be used to inform and improve the local guidelines on the management of Type-2 2 diabetes, says Prof. Home.

The observational insulin study will involve 3300 physicians. And the results of this transcontinental study will be out by 2011, Novo Nordisk said.