Patients with type 2 diabetes require exogenous insulin when diet and exercise or oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs) no longer provide adequate glycemic control. Inadequate glycemic control can lead to serious metabolic and long-term vascular complications. Conventional insulin therapy involves multiple, daily, subcutaneous injections. Recently, oral inhalation systems have been developed that deliver short-acting insulin, with the goal of providing a more tolerable delivery system and encouraging earlier acceptance of insulin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes.