New Insulin Being Developed to Combat Diabetes

New Insulin Being Developed to Combat Diabetes

Scientists are developing a new insulin that could take away the need for daily injections, as well as reducing glucose fluctuations, it has emerged. Presented at a recent meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, the study examined data from a stage 2 trial that used a new insulin called degludec that provided an improved glucose-lowering effect in patients suffering from type 1 diabetes .

A group of patients with type 1 diabetes were prescribed either insulin degludec or insulin glargine once daily, with treatment effects then monitored over the trial period. It was discovered that the variability of treatment effects was more reduced among patients given insulin degludec than those given standard treatments.

In an accompanying study, the researchers were able to show that degludec injected three times a week by type 2 diabetes patients was as effective at bringing down HbA1c levels as existing daily therapies for diabetics .

The trial also compared insulin degludec taken once daily or three-times-weekly with insulin glargine, showing that the treatments produced similar reductions in HbA1c, as well as some adverse effects.

These are early days for the treatment. Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK, commented "The next stage will be to test the formulations on larger numbers of people for a longer time period."