The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first drug that can delay the progression of type 1 diabetes.
Teplizumab targets the autoimmune problems that cause T1D type 1 diabetes, rather than its symptoms. On the importance of the drug, Dr. John Sharets, director of the Division of Diabetes, Lipid Disorders and Obesity at the Center for Drug Evaluation, said in a statement that “delaying the onset of type 1 diabetes will have an important impact on the daily lives of people at risk of developing diabetes, their families, and the public health system,” reports a local Arabic daily quoting UPI news agency.
“This will free patients from the constant burden and stress of monitoring blood sugar and administering insulin,” Sharets added.
He added, “The drug will give patients more time to live their lives without insulin injections or finger pricks that measure blood sugar.”
It is worth noting that people who have two or more autoantibodies associated with T1D and whose blood sugar levels begin to become abnormal are at high risk of developing the disease.
Diabetes is described as a “silent killer”, since the majority of those who suffer from it do not realize it, as it often does not show early symptoms.