A drug that could slow the progression of type 1 diabetes is being trialled by patients in the UK for the first time.
Teplizumab, already approved in the US, works by training the immune system to stop attacking insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
It can delay the need for daily insulin injections by an average of three years.
The drug is currently being administered to a small number of people on a case-by-case basis while it is reviewed for broader NHS use.
Dr Nick Thomas, diabetes consultant and academic clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter, said: “This new treatment represents a really exciting shift in how we manage type 1 diabetes.
“For the first time ever, we will be able to provide targeted treatment early enough in the process to alter the underlying immune process, aiming to slow down how quickly people need insulin.”
In type 1 diabetes, the immune system destroys cells in the pancreas that produce insulin – the hormone that controls blood sugar levels.
Without insulin, blood sugar becomes dangerously high or low, and people must inject insulin daily to survive.
Hannah Robinson, a 36-year-old dentist and mother-of-two from Devon, is the first adult in the UK to receive the drug.
She is being treated at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, after discovering during pregnancy that she was in the early stages of developing type 1 diabetes.
Robinson said: “For me, this new drug offers more freedom and the chance to focus on my health before I have to start thinking differently and managing life as somebody needing daily insulin.
“This isn’t just about what I eat or monitoring my glucose, it is also about having more control and not feeling defined by my condition.
“This treatment could potentially pave the way for a future cure for type 1 diabetes, which is incredible. I feel very lucky to be part of this.”
Teplizumab must be given at the earliest stage of the disease – before symptoms appear and insulin is needed – for it to be effective.
Dr Lucy Chambers, head of research impact and communications at Diabetes UK, added: “For people in the early stages of type 1 diabetes, teplizumab offers a groundbreaking opportunity to buy them precious extra years insulin-free.
“Right now, it’s only available in research settings – and while the excitement is real, urgent work is still needed to ensure it reaches everyone who could benefit.
“That means securing a UK licence for teplizumab, establishing national screening programmes to identify people with early-stage type 1 diabetes before symptoms appear, and preparing the NHS to deliver this treatment at scale.
“Diabetes UK is proud to be at the forefront of these efforts – funding pioneering research and working closely with the NHS towards a future where immunotherapies become the first-line treatment for tackling the autoimmune attack at the root of type 1 diabetes.”
