Today, Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first drug to 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, “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.”
“This will free patients from the constant burden and stress of monitoring blood sugar and administering insulin,” Sharets added, according to the UPI news agency.
He added, “The drug will give patients more time to live their lives without insulin injections, or finger pricks that measure blood sugar.”