Researchers have announced a “significant advancement” in the fight against type 1 diabetes, as an arthritis medication has been found to postpone the disease’s onset. Type 1 diabetes develops when the immune system erroneously attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The medication, baricitinib, interrupts this destructive process.
An Australian research study involved 91 participants between the ages of 10 and 30 who were newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. They received either baricitinib or a placebo. Those treated with the drug exhibited reduced blood sugar variability and a decreased need for insulin injections.
When patients stopped taking the drugs after 48 weeks, their insulin production began to decline and blood sugar control worsened.
Study author Dr Michalea Waibel, from St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research in Australia, said: “This is a really exciting step forward.
“This marks the first oral treatment capable of altering the disease, allowing individuals with T1D to rely significantly less on insulin and granting them respite from the daily demands of managing the condition, while potentially decreasing long-term complications.”
“By identifying those at elevated risk for type 1 diabetes through genetic testing and blood markers, we could administer treatment even earlier to prevent the disease from developing.”
Around 270,000 people were living with type 1 diabetes in England, according to the NHS.
The researchers are now advocating for larger clinical trials to validate the effectiveness of this treatment so that it can be widely implemented to postpone the onset of the disease.
Dr. Waibel mentioned: “Among the agents promising to maintain beta cell functionality in T1D, baricitinib is notable. It is orally administered, well-tolerated by young children, and highly effective.”
The findings were presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna.
