Diabetes sufferers could be spared daily injections after two studies found that a once-a-week form of insulin was just as effective.
Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine saw more than 900 patients with type 2 diabetes given either the new drug – insulin efsitora – or standard daily insulin.
A second study published in The Lancet involved almost 700 patients with type 1 diabetes who also received one of the two treatments.
Both trials ran for a year and found that the two insulin options led to similar reductions in blood sugar.
Insulin is a hormone that helps the body use glucose for energy. If you do not have enough, this can lead to dangerously high blood sugar levels.
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About 8.1million insulin items were prescribed for diabetes in England in 2022-23, which was an increase from 7.8million the previous year.
Katie Bareford, senior clinical adviser at Diabetes UK, said keeping blood sugar within the target range could be “relentless and exhausting” for patients.
She added: “Everyone with type 1 diabetes and some people with type 2 diabetes need to take regular doses of insulin, either via injections or a pump.
“A reduction in the number of insulin injections could lessen the burden of living with diabetes and better support people in their efforts to manage their diabetes.
“We welcome these findings and look forward to further research on once weekly insulin injections to ensure they are safe and effective for everyone who could benefit.”
Insulin efsitora is manufactured by Lilly. Jeff Emmick, the pharmaceutical firm’s senior vice-president of product development, said: “Once weekly insulins, like efsitora, have the potential to transform diabetes care as we know it.
“Many patients are reluctant to start insulin because of the burden it places on them. With a simple fixed-dose regimen, once-weekly efsitora could make it easier for people with diabetes to start and manage insulin therapy, while reducing the impact it has on their day-to-day lives.”
The findings were presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Madrid.