Stopping type 1 diabetes in its tracks

A ground-breaking Australian study has shown that a drug called baricitinib, that’s commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, may suppress the progression of type 1 diabetes if it’s given within 100 days of diagnosis.

“When type 1 diabetes is first diagnosed there is a substantial number of insulin-producing cells still present,” says Professor Thomas Kay from St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research, who lead the study. “We wanted to see whether we could protect further destruction of these cells by the immune system. We showed that baricitinib is safe and effective at slowing the progression of type 1 diabetes in people who have recently been diagnosed.”

This research shows promise as the first disease-modifying treatment of its kind for type 1 diabetes that can be delivered as a tablet. “Up until now, people with type 1 diabetes have been reliant on insulin delivered via injection or infusion pump,” says Professor Kay. “Our trial showed that, if started early enough after diagnosis, and while the participants remained on the medication, their production of insulin was maintained. People with type 1 diabetes in the trial who were given the drug required significantly less insulin for treatment.” The research team is optimistic that this treatment will become clinically available in a few more years.