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For Hodalis Gaytan, 20, living with type 1 diabetes, it is using a variety of drugs and expensive devices to stay healthy. Strips for testing. Needles A glucose meter. Insulin
The rising cost of type 1 diabetes, one of the most common serious chronic diseases, has created heavy financial burdens for families and sparked controversy, with insulin prices having doubled over the last decade. 19659003] Without the assurance of his parents, "I would not be alive," said Gaytan, a student at the University of Maryland.
The cost of therapy is why a small study looks promising as a simpler and cheaper alternative treatment for type 1 diabetes has been received with hope, but also with caution and skepticism.
The research, published June 21 in the journal Nature Partner Journal Vaccines, showed that a generic vaccine has been used for decades It can help reduce the blood sugar levels of patients with diabetes mellitus type 1, which reduces their need for insulin. The vaccine, known as BCG, is used in several countries to prevent tuberculosis and has long been known to boost the immune system. According to the health technology company Connecture, this vaccine is relatively inexpensive and costs about $ 157 per dose in the United States.
As part of the study, participants with long-standing type 1 diabetes were injected with two doses of vaccine. the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) TB vaccine at four weeks apart. Three of the patients were observed for eight years. Nine of them were followed for five years.
Blood sugar levels, known as A1c, of patients with 8 years of follow-up decreased by more than 10%, three years after injections, and
While the trial involved a small number of patients, the researchers, led by Dr. Denise Faustman, director of the immunobiology laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital, are conducting a trial. Phase 2 BCG vaccine to treat diabetes and see if the results are valid.
JDRF, a leading non-profit organization that funds type 1 diabetes research and the American Diabetes Association issued a joint statement shortly after the publication of the new study, warning against a misinterpreting the findings and stating that "they do not provide enough clinical foresight to support the recommended changes in therapy at this time." The two groups have partnered with drug and device manufacturers from the industry.
Still, Dr. Camillo Ricordi, director of the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami, said that he was "cautiously optimistic" about the results. the "incredibly high price" for patients with diabetes. But he cautioned against the possibility of generating "too much exaggeration" among families before it is proven that the treatment is effective.
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