Psoriasis Treating Drug Blocks Type 1 Diabetes

Researchers from Indiana University discovered that a psoriasis treating drug, alefacept, can halt the progression of type 1 diabetes.

"If the results are borne out in larger studies, the drug could enable type 1 diabetics to maintain some insulin production and avoid the debilitating complications caused by the disease," Mark R. Rigby, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine, stated in a press release.

A trial was conducted on 49 patients who were lately diagnosed with diabetes.  The patients were in the age group of 12 to 35 years. Two-thirds of the patients were prescribed with alefacept, whereas others were put on a placebo.

 The patients were followed for a year. The participants were given injections weekly for three months followed by a gap of three months with no injections, then the process was repeated. Their insulin was tested after a year of receiving these injections

The researchers found that the patients who were given the alefacept drug for a year had the same level of insulin. Whereas,  a reduction was observed in the insulin production of the patients on the placebo. Insulin reduction was an outcome of the progression of diabetes.

"These are extremely promising results and offer hope that the progression of type 1 diabetes can be stopped or significantly slowed by a drug that was well-tolerated, without serious adverse events," said Dr. Rigby, principal investigator of the trial.

Alefacept is an immunosuppressant drug, which affects various T-cells present in the immune system. These T-cells play a role in the destruction of beta cells.

Almost 3 million people in the U.S. suffer from type 1 diabetes, which also leads to other problems like heart illnesses, visual impairment and even amputation sometimes.

"The participants will continue to be tested until two years after starting treatment. The additional testing may reveal whether the alefacept treatments have resulted in "re-education" of the immune system so that patients would not need further treatments with the drug," Dr. Rigby concluded.