Phase III trial for novel drug to treat type 1 diabetes completed
Patients who need to buy insulin for the treatment of type 1 diabetes can save money by shopping through a Canadian internet pharmacy.
Patients who need to buy insulin for the treatment of type 1 diabetes can save money by shopping through a Canadian internet pharmacy. Such businesses sell many of the same medications available in the U.S., but at significant discounts. In the future, this may include novel treatments that are currently just in development. One example is DiaPep277, an injection for insulin-dependent diabetics.
Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science hope that this new medication can help prevent the immune system from attacking the pancreas, thus allowing the organ to produce insulin.
An international phase III trial of the drug, conducted in Israel, Europe and South Africa, enrolled more than 450 patients and divided them into two groups: one received a single injection of DiaPep277 every three months for two years, while the other had placebos.
Initial results showed that subjects who were given the drug for a year or more had significantly better pancreas function. Furthermore, incidence of side effects between the two different groups was similar.
The final report on DiaPep277's performance is expected in the next few months.
Between 2002 and 2005, about 15,600 people younger than 20 years of age were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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