Press Release: 05/29/2026

MannKind Announces FDA Approval of Afrezza®

The First and Only Inhaled Mealtime Insulin for Use in Children and Adolescents Aged 6 and Older Living with Diabetes

  • Enables dosing at the start of a meal, offering flexibility for children and adolescents as they manage school, sports, meals, and snacks throughout the day
  • Approval advances pediatric diabetes care by introducing a new inhaled mealtime insulin option recognized in the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Standards of Care alongside multiple daily injections (MDI) and insulin pumps
  • Approval is supported by results from the Phase 3 INHALE‑1 study in pediatric patients, along with clinical efficacy and safety evidence generated across thousands of patients over the past 20+ years of Technosphere® inhaled insulin development
  • Eligible patients can access Afrezza today for $35 or less per month, with dedicated support through MannKind Cares

DANBURY, Conn. and WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., May 29, 2026 (Globe Newswire) – MannKind Corporation (Nasdaq: MNKD), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to transforming chronic disease care through innovative, patient-centric solutions for cardiometabolic and orphan lung diseases, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Afrezza® (insulin human) Inhalation Powder for use in children and adolescents aged 6 and older living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

The First and Only Needle-Free Mealtime Insulin for Use in Children and Adolescents Living with Diabetes
Afrezza Inhaler Afrezza Cartridges

How Afrezza Works

Afrezza® is an ultra rapid-acting mealtime insulin that is breathed in through your lungs using an oral inhaler. It gives you the flexibility to eat when you want while providing proven blood sugar control. Afrezza is available as 4-, 8-, and 12-unit color-coded, single use cartridges. More than one cartridge may be needed to take your prescribed dose.

visit Afrezza’s site

Discover Management in the Moment with Afrezza

Learn more about Afrezza, the only ultra rapid-acting inhaled insulin.

about Afrezza
  • No Planning
    No Planning
    Afrezza lets you inhale your insulin right when food arrives - even unexpectedly - so you can be spontaneous but still in control.
  • No Waiting
    No Waiting
    Afrezza lowers your blood sugar fast*, similar to the body’s natural insulin response

    *Starts lowering blood sugars in ~12 minutes

  • No Needlesticks
    No Needlesticks
    Afrezza lowers your blood sugar at mealtime without the need for mealtime injections
  • Control you can count on
    Control you can count on
    Afrezza has proven mealtime control in studies of more than 4,800 people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes

Afrezza is a rapid-acting inhaled human insulin delivered by Technosphere® technology

Inhaled particles dissolve on contact with the lungs and are rapidly absorbed across the lung membrane, appearing in circulation in ~1 minute.

Technosphere Microparticles
Human Insulin

What is AFREZZA?

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Afrezza is a man-made insulin that is breathed-in through your lungs (inhaled) and is used to control high blood sugar in adults, adolescents, and children 6 years of age and older with diabetes mellitus.

Important Safety Information

What is the most important information I should know about Afrezza? Afrezza can cause serious side effects, including:

Sudden lung problems (bronchospasms). In a study, some Afrezza-treated patients with asthma, whose asthma medication was temporarily withheld, experienced sudden lung problems. Do not use Afrezza if you have long-term (chronic) lung problems such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Before starting Afrezza, your healthcare provider will give you a breathing test to check how your lungs are working.

Important Safety Information (Cont’D)

What is the most important information I should know about AFREZZA?

AFREZZA can cause serious side effects, including:
  • Sudden lung problems (bronchospasms). In a study, some AFREZZA-treated patients with asthma, whose asthma medication was temporarily withheld, experienced sudden lung problems. Do not use AFREZZA if you have long-term (chronic) lung problems such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Before starting AFREZZA, your healthcare provider will give you a breathing test to check how your lungs are working.

What is AFREZZA?

  • AFREZZA is a man-made insulin that is breathed-in through your lungs (inhaled) and is used to control high blood sugar in adults and children 6 years of age and older,with diabetes mellitus.
  • AFREZZA is not for use to treat diabetic ketoacidosis. AFREZZA must be used with basal insulin in people who have type 1 diabetes mellitus.
  • It is not known if AFREZZA is safe and effective for use in people who smoke. AFREZZA is not for use in people who smoke or have recently stopped smoking (less than 6 months).
  • It is not known if AFREZZA is safe and effective in children under 6 years of age..

Who should not use AFREZZA?

Do not use AFREZZA if you:
  • Are having an episode of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
  • Have chronic lung problems such as asthma or COPD.
  • Are allergic to regular human insulin or any of the ingredients in AFREZZA.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before using AFREZZA?

Before using AFREZZA, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:
  • Have lung problems such as asthma or COPD
  • Have or have had lung cancer
  • Are using any inhaled medications
  • Smoke or have recently stopped smoking
  • Have kidney or liver problems
  • Are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. AFREZZA may harm your unborn or breastfeeding baby.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins or herbal supplements.


Before you start using AFREZZA, talk to your healthcare provider about low blood sugar and how to manage it.

What should I avoid while using AFREZZA? While using AFREZZA do not:
  • Drive or operate heavy machinery, until you know how AFREZZA affects you
  • Drink alcohol or use over-the-counter medicines that contain alcohol
  • Smoke

What are the possible side effects of AFREZZA? AFREZZA may cause serious side effects that can lead to death, including: See “What is the most important information I should know about AFREZZA?”

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Signs and symptoms that may indicate low blood sugar include:
  • Dizziness or light-headedness, sweating, confusion, headache, blurred vision, slurred speech, shakiness, fast heartbeat, anxiety, irritability or mood change, hunger.

Decreased lung function. Your healthcare provider should check how your lungs are working before you start using AFREZZA, 6 months after you start using it, and yearly after that.

Lung cancer. In studies of AFREZZA in people with diabetes, lung cancer occurred in a few more people who were taking AFREZZA than in people who were taking other diabetes medications. There were too few cases to know if lung cancer was related to AFREZZA. If you have lung cancer, you and your healthcare provider should decide if you should use AFREZZA.

Diabetic ketoacidosis. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have an illness. Your AFREZZA dose or how often you check your blood sugar may need to be changed.

Severe allergic reaction (whole body reaction). Get medical help right away if you have any of these signs or symptoms of a severe allergic reaction:

  • A rash over your whole body, trouble breathing, a fast heartbeat, or sweating.

Low potassium in your blood (hypokalemia).

Heart failure. Taking certain diabetes pills called thiazolidinediones or “TZDs” with AFREZZA may cause heart failure in some people. This can happen even if you have never had heart failure or heart problems before. If you already have heart failure it may get worse while you take TZDs with AFREZZA. Your healthcare provider should monitor you closely while you are taking TZDs with AFREZZA. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new or worse symptoms of heart failure including:

  • Shortness of breath, swelling of your ankles or feet, sudden weight gain.

Treatment with TZDs and AFREZZA may need to be changed or stopped by your healthcare provider if you have new or worse heart failure.

Get emergency medical help if you have:

  • Trouble breathing, shortness of breath, fast heartbeat, swelling of your face, tongue, or throat, sweating, extreme drowsiness, dizziness, confusion.

The most common side effects of AFREZZA include:

  • Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), cough, sore throat.

These are not all the possible side effects of AFREZZA. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.


You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088).

Please See Full Prescribing Information, including BOXED WARNING, Medication Guide and Instructions for Use at Afrezza.com/safety.