Treating newly recognized sort 1 diabetes sufferers with semaglutide, which can also be used as a weight reduction drug, could drastically cut back and even eradicate their want for injected insulin, a small examine suggests.
Consultants say that if the findings might be replicated in bigger research, the analysis might presumably be probably the most dramatic change in treating sort 1 diabetes because the discovery of insulin in 1921.
Sufferers within the examine have been handled first with a low dose of semaglutide, additionally bought below the model names Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, whereas additionally taking meal-time (bolus) insulin and basal (background) insulin.
The semaglutide dose was elevated whereas mealtime insulin was lowered in an effort to keep away from hypoglycaemia – low blood sugar.
Our findings from this admittedly small examine are, nonetheless, so promising for newly recognized sort 1 diabetes sufferers that we at the moment are completely targeted on pursuing a bigger examine for an extended time period
Dr Paresh Dandona, College of Buffalo
Paresh Dandona, is a distinguished professor within the division of medication, former chief of the division of endocrinology within the Jacobs Faculty of Drugs and Biomedical Sciences on the College of Buffalo (UB), and senior writer on the paper.
He stated: “Our findings from this admittedly small examine are, nonetheless, so promising for newly recognized sort 1 diabetes sufferers that we at the moment are completely targeted on pursuing a bigger examine for an extended time period.”
A complete of 10 sufferers at UB’s scientific analysis centre within the division of endocrinology have been studied from 2020 to 2022.
They’d been recognized with sort 1 diabetes prior to now three to 6 months.
The common HbA1c stage (an individual’s common blood sugar stage over 90 days) at analysis was 11.7, far above the American Diabetes Affiliation’s HbA1c advice of seven or under.
Inside three months researchers have been in a position to eradicate all the mealtime insulin doses for all the sufferers.
Dr Dandona added: “And inside six months we have been in a position to eradicate basal insulin in seven of the ten sufferers.
“This was maintained till the top of the 12-month follow-up interval.”
Throughout that point, the sufferers’ imply HbA1c fell to five.9 at six months and 5.7 at 12 months.
The most typical negative effects for sufferers have been nausea and vomiting in addition to urge for food suppression.
This led numerous sufferers to expertise weight reduction, an consequence that Dr Dandona stated is usually a bonus since 50% of sufferers with sort 1 diabetes within the US are chubby or overweight.
He continued: “As we proceeded with the examine, we discovered that even the dose of basal insulin may very well be lowered or eradicated altogether in a majority of those sufferers.
“We have been positively stunned by our findings and in addition fairly excited.
“If these findings are borne out in bigger research over prolonged follow-up intervals, it might presumably be probably the most dramatic change in treating sort 1 diabetes because the discovery of insulin in 1921.”
