Drug Stops Progression of Diabetes

A study has shown that an experimental new peptide-based drug can stop the progression of type 1 diabetes. The results were reported in the November 4, 2001, issue of The Lancet. The drug will be further tested in a multicenter phase II clinical trial involving 100 patients and five participating medical centers.

The Lancet study showed that DiaPep277 also prevented further destruction of the beta cells and reduced the need for injected insulin in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes patients. The drug, called DiaPep277, was developed by Peptor, a biopharmaceutical company based in Rehovot (Israel) and Erkrath (Germany). In the new trial, the drug will be tested against latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA), in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys beta cells in the pancreas, rendering the body unable to synthesize its own insulin. LADA patients are often incorrectly diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes.

Peptor is engaged in the discovery and development of immunotherapeutic drugs to treat autoimmune diseases and cancers. The company plans to begin phase III trials of DiaPep277 for type 1 diabetes later in 2002. A second drug candidate, for diabetic nephropathy, is also ready for clinical trials.