[acb-diabetics] drug slows type 1 diabetes

[Patricia LaFrance-Wolf]

Approved Drug Slows Type 1 Diabetes

 

The drug rituximab already used to treat autoimmune disorders may also slow
the destruction of insulin-producing cells in patients with
insulin-dependent

(Type 1) diabetes. 

 

In Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, insulin-producing
beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed by an autoimmune process.

 

Researchers at University of Texas Southwestern and 14 other centers
worldwide found that injections of the drug rituximab slowed beta cell
destruction

for at least a year in the pancreas of those newly diagnosed with Type 1
diabetes, suggesting a potential treatment option to improve management and
reduce

long-term complications of the disease.

 

The findings are extremely exciting says Dr. Philip Raskin, principal
investigator and professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern but
adds,"Our

findings in no way suggest that rituximab should be used as a treatment or
that it will eliminate the need for daily insulin injections....This is not

a cure for Type 1 diabetes."

 

Dr. Raskin went on the explain, "The results do, however, provide evidence
that B cells play a significant role in Type 1 diabetes, and that selective
suppression

of these B cells may deter the destruction of the body's beta cells."

 

Prior research has shown that two types of immune cells -- B cells and T
cells -- help trigger Type 1 diabetes. T cells attack and destroy the
insulin-producing

beta cells. The B cells, however, don't directly attack insulin-producing
cells, but researchers have speculated that they trigger the T cells to
attack.

Rituximab directly attacks and destroys the B cells.

 

Researchers conducted a study in which 81 participants received infusions of
either rituximab or a placebo once a week for four weeks. The participants

ranged in age from 8 to 40 years old and had been diagnosed with Type 1
diabetes within 100 days of enrollment in the study. They returned
approximately

every three months for two years to undergo blood tests and meet with a
physician. Two-thirds of the 81 participants received the drug.

 

After one year, the participants who received rituximab needed lower doses
of insulin and were able to produce more of their own insulin than those who

received the placebo. They also had better control of their blood sugar. 

 

Dr. Raskin said researchers do not think rituximab could ever be used to
completely reverse Type 1 diabetes because the pancreas typically is too
damaged

by the time diabetes is diagnosed.

 

He also said that while the exact mechanism of how rituximab affects Type 1
diabetes remains unclear, the study clearly shows that a therapy that
targets

B cells may improve beta-cell function in early Type 1 diabetes. 

 

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