A therapy which combines standard insulin treatment and the investigational drug dapagliflozin could reduce chronic kidney disease and improve health outcomes for adolescents with type 1 diabetes, a clinical trial has found.
Experts say the findings could help to shape more precision care for teenagers with the condition.
People with type 1 diabetes require insulin therapy for life, but the side effects can include weight gain and chronic kidney disease.
Results from the new trial show that the combination therapy improves blood sugar control and kidney function, and reduces weight gain.
Trial lead Dr Farid Mahmud, from The Hospital for Sick Children in Canada, said: “Our findings showed that adolescents who received this combination therapy were able to improve many symptoms typically associated with insulin-managed type one diabetes.
“This could inform a new early intervention strategy for the growing population of teenagers with type one diabetes.”
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Trials can be more complex when it involves teenagers due to hormonal changes, psychological development, and treatment being managed between teens and their parents.
Previous trials have shown similar results in adults so Dr Mahmud put together a trial specifically for adolescents, and recruited 98 participants aged between 12 and 18 years old.
The research team included patient partner Lynne McArthur, whose twin sons were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at a young age, just a few years apart.
She said: “Deciding to participate in a clinical trial is an important decision, but my goal has always been disease prevention.
“Participating in research, whether in a trial or as an advisor, is hugely rewarding. With my experience as trial participant, I can see how the plans on paper would impact the real lives of people living with diabetes.”
Read more in Nature Medicine.
