DIABETICS’ lives could be changed forever thanks to a new treatment that could spell the end of daily injections....CONTINUE READING
Stanford University scientists have developed a hydrogel drug delivery system that would see patients only have to have a dose every four months instead.
The technology could be used for glucagon-like peptide 1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro, which are often prescribed off-label for weight loss to be taken weekly as well.
Researchers say reducing how often patients need to take the “miracle” drugs would be transformational to patients.
Dr Eric Appel said: “Adherence is one of the biggest challenges in type 2 diabetes management.
“Needing only three shots a year would make it much easier for people with diabetes or obesity to stick with their drug regimens.
“We chose four months to match the cadence that people actually meet with their physician or endocrinologist and why we were so specific with the release period.”
More than five million Brits are thought to be living with diabetes, with cases doubling in the last 15 years.
The NHS spends at least £10billion annually on the disease — around 10 per cent of its entire budget.
It causes blood sugar levels to become too high because of problems with how the body produces the hormone insulin, which breaks down glucose.
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are prescribed on the NHS for diabetes patients to help manage insulin levels.
They work by mimicking a hormone that causes insulin levels to increase when blood sugar levels rise.
This also causes weight loss, because the drugs reduce how hungry people feel — prompting some doctors to offer it to overweight and obese patients.
Experts have raised concerns about dwindling supplies of Ozempic for diabetes patients because of the amount of demand for its use as a weight-loss drug.
The latest study, published in Cell Reports Medicine, looked at a new hydrogel that can reduce how often people need to take GLP-1s.
Dr Appel said: “Our hydrogel melts away over many months like a sugar cube dissolving in water, molecule by molecule.
“I often refer to the mesh being held together by a sort of molecular Velcro that sticks together quite well, but then can be easily pulled apart.”
Researchers tested the new drug delivery system on rats.
They found a single injection helped improve blood sugar and weight management for the equivalent of four months in a human.
Management was comparable to daily injections of a leading commercial drug, researchers said.
The team will move tests on to pigs next, before starting human clinical trials within a year and a half if further tests go well.
Dr Appel said: “There’s even been really promising results with children with type 1 diabetes.
“At the very least, we have laid a pathway for the prolonged release of therapeutic GLP-1–based anti-diabetic and anti-obesity treatments that could have beneficial impact on Type 2 diabetes management and, perhaps, other conditions as well.”
