ENGLAND AND WALES — The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved the drug teplizumab for use in England and Wales on Tuesday. The immunotherapy is approved for adults and children aged eight and above with early, pre-symptomatic type 1 diabetes, also known as stage 2.

Teplizumab, manufactured by Sanofi, postpones the onset of symptomatic type 1 diabetes for up to three years. The medication does not cure type 1 diabetes. Teplizumab trains the immune system to stop attacking pancreatic cells. It is administered through an intravenous drip once a day for 14 consecutive days. Each administration takes approximately 30 minutes. The dose of teplizumab starts low and gradually increases during the 14-day course.

Karen Addington, chief executive of Breakthrough T1D, said, "For the first time, we have an immunotherapy that can delay the onset of symptomatic type 1 diabetes." Elizabeth Robertson, director of research at Diabetes UK, said, "For the first time in 100 years, we are moving beyond insulin, with a medicine that targets the root cause of the condition." Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, said, "For the first time, we have a treatment that can give people diagnosed at an early stage of type 1 diabetes precious extra time before they need to manage the full demands of the condition."

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone that allows glucose to enter cells for energy production, and its discovery happened 105 years ago. Insulin treatment replaces missing insulin and does not alter the course of type 1 diabetes. Sanofi has agreed to a commercial arrangement with NHS England, making teplizumab available at a confidential discounted price.