A new therapeutic opportunity is emerging for millions of children and adolescents in Europe at risk of developing type 1 diabetes, as the European Medicines Agency has issued a positive opinion on teplizumab, a monoclonal antibody from Sanofi. This treatment, which has already been approved in the U.S. since 2022, targets individuals in stage 2 of the disease, even before the first symptoms appear.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system destroys the pancreatic cells that produce insulin. Without timely diagnosis and insulin administration, the condition can become life-threatening within a short period. Teplizumab, administered intravenously over 14 days, targets a specific receptor on T-cells, inhibiting their attacks on pancreatic cells and delaying the progression of the disease.
The data reviewed by the EMA comes from a clinical trial involving 76 individuals aged over eight years. The treatment appeared to significantly extend the time until symptoms emerged: the average time to transition to stage 3 increased to 50 months, compared to 25 months in the control group. A decision on final approval is now awaited from the European Commission.
Today, approximately 2.2 million Europeans live with type 1 diabetes, and until recently, there was no treatment capable of delaying its onset. Teplizumab, which was initially developed at the University of Chicago before passing through various companies to reach Sanofi, is considered a significant first step toward a preventive approach to the disease.
In the long term, research efforts are shifting toward more radical solutions, such as stem cell therapies and gene editing techniques using tools like CRISPR, which could potentially lead to a definitive cure in the future.
