WONDER DRUG CLOBBERS DIABETES!
ABREAKTHROUGH drug recently approved by the FDA targets the root cause of type 1 diabetes (T1D) — and the first-of-its-kind treat- ment may delay the disease’s damaging late stage by two years or more!
Teplizumab, an immunotherapy infusion, was given the green light for patients aged eight and above. It is intended for individuals who are in the early phases of the autoimmune condition, which ultimately leaves the body unable to control blood sugar levels.
Sold under the brand name Tzield, the medication is administered as a daily infusion lasting up to an hour for two weeks. Teplizumab is a modified antibody, which binds to immune cells called T lymphocytes — or T cells — which attack insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas in those with T1D.
Experts say since the drug halts the body’s assault, it preserves the function of still healthy beta cells, allowing them to continue to produce the glucose-regulating hormone.
About 1.9 million people have T1D in the U.S. and must inject insulin or wear an insulin pump to survive. Symptoms of the disease include weight loss, excessive thirst and frequent urination. But the antibodies responsible for the condition can be detected even before signs appear!
If left untreated, chronic high blood sugar levels can cause blindness, kidney failure, strokes, heart problems and vascular disease, which can lead to limb amputations. It can also cause a deadly buildup of acids called ketones.
Dr. Mark S. Anderson, director of the University of California San Francisco Diabetes Center, calls teplizumab’s approval a “watershed moment.”