NHS Approves First Drug to Delay Type 1 Diabetes Onset

The National Health Service in the United Kingdom will begin offering a groundbreaking therapy. Teplizumab is the first drug approved to delay the onset of Type 1 diabetes.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended the treatment. It targets individuals with stage 2 Type 1 diabetes, including children aged eight and older.

The drug works by regulating the immune system. It attaches to a protein on immune cells that attack insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. This slows the disease's progression.

For patients, this delay means more time before the demands of lifelong diabetes management begin. This is particularly beneficial for children and young people.

NICE estimates about 1,100 people will be eligible in the first year. Eligibility begins with screening for Type 1 autoantibodies.

"This is a genuinely exciting recommendation," said Helen Knight, NICE's Director of Medicines Evaluation. "For the first time, we have a treatment that can give people precious extra time."