A few weeks ago we reported that an insulin injection that is only needed once a week for patients with type 1 diabetes was successful in a phase three clinical trial. This is a pretty amazing feat compared to the multiple daily injections required now. Scientists from Stanford are now working to extend the interval between insulin injections to once every four months.
Recent studies have found that drugs that have characteristics similar to the hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) are effective in controlling the release of insulin and reducing the comfort of eating. Ozempic, which went viral as a weight loss drug, contains a GLP-1-like peptide.
Scientists implanted hydrogels containing GLP-1 molecules into the skin of laboratory mice with type 2 diabetes. This hydrogel will then release GLP-1 molecules slowly into the body. The study found the hydrogel lasted up to 42 before the next injection was given. In the human body, this 42-day period is equivalent to 4 months.
Efficacy in mice opens the door to the next level of testing in pigs. These animals have an endocrine system and skin more similar to humans. If positive results are again achieved, clinical trials in humans can begin in about two years.
It should be noted that the effectiveness of tests in laboratory animals does not necessarily mean that the same treatment is also effective in humans with type 2 diabetes. But insulin injections every four months will solve the issue of forgetting or overdosing in elderly patients.
In Malaysia almost 20% of the population suffers from diabetes. It is an increasingly serious and prevalent disease. The burden on the health system of the Ministry of Health will also increase and modern treatment as it is being developed has the potential to reduce the cost to the government.