Scientists claim to have achieved a major breakthrough in the fight against Type 1 diabetes by developing a treatment which would save the sufferers from a lifetime of insulin injections.
Now, an international team says that the new treatment, code-named DiaPep277, will block the process which causes the body’s immune system to attack the pancreas in people with Type 1 diabetes, and it’ll hit the markets within three years.
The scientists hope that in patients newly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, the treatment will prevent the disease from developing because it will stop the destruction of vital cells of the pancreas which make insulin.
The drug will also allow the a patient’s body to carry on making its own insulin, eventually allowing their pancreas to recover and make enough to support the body completely, the ’Sunday Express’ reported.
It will also reduce the risk of side effects linked with synthetic insulin which can mirror diabetes complications such as heart disease, stroke and kidney disease that might require a transplant, say the scientists.
Trials are currently taking place at 140 centres in the U.K., including at London’s King’s College Hospital, as well as Europe, North America, South Africa and Israel.
Dr. Shlomo Dagan, of Andromeda Biotech in Israel, who is leading the research trails, was quoted by the British newspaper as saying, “We have proved in earlier trials that our compound stops the immune system attacking the pancreas.
“There is evidence to suggest that using the drug over a period of time, maybe a couple of years, will allow the pancreas to recover enough to make more insulin. In that situation the patient could stop injecting insulin.”
Health-e-Solutions comment: This is exciting news! We believe the diet stopped the destruction of beta cells and put the body in a position of strength to recover and make enough insulin to support itself. Because of this, our boys have avoided the risks associated with synthetic insulin, such as heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.
Something to consider: When this drug blocks the process which causes the body’s immune system to attack the pancreas, what else might it be blocking that your body needs for proper functioning?
If this drug makes it through the trials currently taking place in the U.K., Europe, North America, South Africa and Israel, we believe it will still be vital to have altered diet and lifestyle to maintain long term health and avoid many of the factors that contributed to developing type 1 diabetes in the first place.