DIABETES NEWS : 'NICE is assessing first immunotherapy drug to delay type one diabetes'

Sharing this article posted by Dr Katharine Morrison on The Diabetes Diet Blog here

"Adapted from BMJ 23 August 2025

The UK drug regulator has approved the first immunotherapy to be licenced to delay the progression of type one diabetes in patients with the early stage of the disease.

MHRA says that teplizumab (Tzield) manufactured by Sanofi, can be given to children over aged 8 and adults who have stage 2 of the disease and are at high risk of progressing to stage 3. At stage 3 blood sugars are raised and usually symptomatic.

If the condition can be detected at stage 2, a 14 day course of daily infusions can delay the onset of symptomatic type one diabetes by an average of three years. It works by binding to certain immune cells and may deactivate those cells that attack insulin producing cells, while increasing the cells that moderate the immune response.

NICE is determining the cost effectiveness of the programme and will decide if it should be rolled out in the NHS. The final report has not yet been published but draft guidance as of January 2026 indicates that it will not be rolled out in the NHS.

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Dr Katharine Morrison comment: This article was published in September 2025 following approval made by the MHRA in August. So far I’ve heard nothing as to whether this drug has been approved by NICE or not. NICE is very keen on value for money. Apart from that, an important aspect is how clinicians are meant to identify those individuals who are on the cusp of developing symptomatic diabetes but who don’t yet know it. Siblings of Type Ones are at high risk (1 in 20 as far as I remember) and children of Type One men (1 in 3). I would imagine that one strategy would be monthly to three monthly finger prick blood sugar tests for those at risk over the age of 8. Time will tell."

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Update 12 January 2026

The European Commission has approved Teizeild, the European brand name for the immunotherapy teplizumab, for use in people with stage 2 type 1 diabetes (T1D). This marks an important step forward in efforts to delay the progression of the condition.

Read more here

My comment: So thankful for the continued research that goes into Type One Diabetes and indeed all types of diabetes, but what will NICE do?

Will they approve, and will it be rolled out for the NHS?

We shall have to wait a little longer to find out - see here

All the best Jan