Exubera, the first inhaled insulin treatment for diabetes, won approval from US regulatory officials on Friday.

The long-awaited action by the US Food and Drug Administration means millions of people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes may have the option of avoiding the needles and countless injections that have marked their lives so far.

“This is the first new insulin delivery option introduced since the discovery of this drug in 1920s,” said Dr Steve Galson, director of the FDA Centre for Drug Evaluation and Research. “There are more than five million Americans who take insulin injections every day, and Exubera may be an option for many of these patients. It will not replace all injectable insulin… It’s a very highly innovative product that has the potential to improve the quality of life of millions of people with diabetes.”