New efficient jab to fight diabetes developed

Scientists have developed a simple once-a-day jab for diabetes that lasts for 40 hours compared to insulin injections that remain effective only for 18 hours.

Many patients have to inject themselves with insulin several times a day order to keep their blood sugar level steady.

However, the new drug, Tresiba, now available in the UK, makes it easier to keep diabetes under control as it lasts for 40 hours instead of a maximum of 18 hours and is much more stable.

If patients happen to miss an injection because of the demands of their busy lives they are less likely to suffer the potentially fatal low blood sugar “crash” called hypoglycaemic shock, ‘Express.co.uk’ reported.

Doctors have hailed the new treatment which can be used to manage both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

“Many of my patients tell me they have difficulty taking their insulin at exactly the same time each day. This is often for reasons which we can all sympathise with,” Melanie Davies, Professor of Diabetes Medicine at the University of Leicester, said.

“We might get stuck in traffic picking the children up from school or our shifts at work might change,” said Davies.

“Now for the first time insulin-dependent diabetes patients will have the peace of mind that their blood sugar is still under control if they are, on occasion, not able to take their insulin dose at the same time each day,” Davies said.

The new drug could help slash the 24,000 unnecessary and premature deaths from diabetes each year, doctors believe.

It is also expected to lead to huge savings for the National Health Service (NHS) in UK. Eighty per cent of the 10 billion pounds a year spent on diabetes goes on treating avoidable complications.

Tresiba, developed by Novo Nordisk, was approved by the European Commission in January.