US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Teplizumab under the brand name Tzield, an immunotherapy drug, which has been shown to significantly delay the onset of type 1 diabetes. This is the first potential disease modifying therapy for patients with type 1 diabetes in the United States, for whom there is currently no approved treatment other than a lifetime of intravenous insulin infusion.
As the first approved immunotherapy drug for diabetes, this new treatment will make a huge difference in the lives of at-risk individuals. Diabetes Center congratulates Drs. Bluestone, Gitelman, and Anderson, and all the researchers and clinicians across the country, especially Kevan Herold MD, C.N.H. Long Professor of Immunobiology and of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine, who worked tirelessly to bring this drug to those who need it most. Thank you to the patients and families that participated in the clinical trials, which are fueled by a combination of philanthropic gifts, grants, and NIH funding.
What we learn from solving type one diabetes can be applied to other autoimmune diseases. The UCSF Diabetes Center collaboration among brilliant scientists and clinicians will continue to lead in developing better therapies and treatments to delay onset in type one diabetes and improve clinical outcomes for all patients with diabetes.
diabetes.ucsf.edu/
diabetes.ucsf.edu/teplizumab