It’s time to give patients a chance to do something different to gain control of their disease. Michael Castagna is the CEO of MannKind, the company on the - “cutting edge of helping transform the care of diabetes where people can really get real-time control.” Michael is an entrepreneurial executive with more than 20 years of experience in the strategic development in Fortune 500 companies as well as privately held biotech start-ups. His innovation is driven by a mission to develop the products and therapies that can help people take control of their health and experience the best of what life has to offer.

Let’s dive right into this episode where you’ll learn how Afrezza hit the market, how it’s changing the speed of the ‘in and out’ of insulin, how it all works, and how it may just be the future of insulin.

[00:01 - 05:36 ] Opening Segment

• I introduce Michael Castagna
• Michael shares his background and story
• Journey and success in the pharmaceutical world 
• The approval of Afrezza 

[05:37 - 13:53 ] The Fastest Acting Insulin on the Market

• Michael shares the touch and go process of Afrezza 
• Mistake made along the way
• Investing his own money 
• Getting back on track
• Explaining the inner workings of Afrezza 
• Human insulin 
• Fast acting 
• How it gets out of the body
• Following the pediatrics 
• Green light to phase 3

[13:54 - 25:16 ] Impacting Mankind with MannKind

• Partnerships with doctors
• The ones who understand take it on board 
• Michael talks about the transition process of MannKind
• Royalties 
• Pipeline 
• Technology 
• Current numbers
• Michael looks out to the next 5 years of MannKind and Afrezza
• Thoughts on acquisitions 
• Organic growth and shareholder value 
• Afrezza as a global product 
• Launching the next drugs

[25:17 - 29:02 ] Closing Segment

• The future of Insulin
• Michaels final message to listeners 
• You have nothing to lose 
• Try a new tool and get to know it
• Think about your patients 
• Final Words 

Tweetable Quotes:

“I liked running into the fires and fixing things…” - Michael Castagna

“It works fast, it works completely different from injectable insulin… It’s in and out of the body quickly.” - Michael Castagna

“Why not try a whole new tool…? We’re going to be here for the next 20 years. Your patients want to try this. Give them a chance to do something different to gain control of their disease.” - Michael Castagna

Resources Mentioned: 

• Afrezza

Connect with Michael on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Go check out https://mannkindcorp.com/ a learn more about how they are making life more human!

To know more, you can connect with me, David Kliff on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or email me at dkliff@diabeticinvestor.com. Be sure to visit https://diabeticinvestor.com for more insights and real-time analyses on the evolving business of diabetes.

Don’t be shy, I’d love to hear from you! You can also reach me at 224-715-3761.

NOTE*: We are in no way a replacement for real medical professionals. All information in this podcast is obtained through reliable sources. Please be aware of our Disclaimer.

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