US to trial Victoza medication in teens with type 1 diabetes

The University of Buffalo, in the US, has been awarded a $600,000 grant to run a study into whether the injectable diabetes medication Victoza can improve blood glucose levels for young people with type 1 diabetes.
The study, which is being funded by the American Diabetes Association will recruit 45 patients with type 1 diabetes between the ages of 15 and 30 years old. The participants will be studied over a period of 3 years.
Victoza, also known as liraglutide, is an injectable medication that is currently prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes that meet certain criteria. Liraglutide works by increasing secretion of insulin but also by decreasing the secretion of glucagon. It is the suppression of glucagon that could be useful in people with type 1 diabetes and could help to reduce high blood sugar level peaks.
Younger people with type 1 diabetes often have difficulty controlling blood sugar levels and it can be a struggle to prevent blood sugars from fluctuating wildly. Initial studies have shown promise that liraglutide could help to improve manageability of blood sugar levels by reducing HbA1c levels and reduce instances of hypoglycemia.