World Diabetes Day | Can new drugs, innovative treatments offer better management of disease

The rising prevalence of diabetes is driven by several factors including sedentary lifestyle and an unhealthy diet. Despite several new drugs and treatments, the disease has become a global health burden.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 422 million people worldwide have diabetes, majority of which live in low and middle income countries and 1.5 million deaths are directly attributed to the disease every year. Both the numbers and the prevalence have been increasing over the years. 

Over the last few decades, the problem of diabetes has changed from being a relatively mild disorder of the elderly to that of a major cause of morbidity and mortality amongst the young population. While the mangemement of the disease and not a complete cure is the best thing current traatment can offer, some of the new classes of drugs promises to be more effective.   

New treatments and innovations that are spread through advanced technologies and lifestyle changes offer efficient management, but how effective are they would be proven over a time. 

New classes of drugs like the SGLT-2 Inhibitors and GLP-1 Receptor Agonists  have tremendous potential for managing the blood sugar. The SGLT-2  inhibitors excrete excess glucose from the kidneys and reduce the blood sugar. The GLP-1 Receptor Agonists help in controlling glucose by enhancing the insulin secretion, reducing glucagon, a hormone that raise the blood sugar.

Researchers are also working on devising insulin formulations that responds to glucose levels in real times and release insulin as is needed.  It is being designed to release more insulin when sugar level rises and less insulin when it falls.

Researchers in the field of diabetes are also trying to find ways for the regeneration and replacement of the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas.  This is still in an experimental stage and has it own set of challenges.

The drug Teplizumab approved by the FDA has shown an immense potential in delaying the onset of type 1 diabetes in individuals at high risk by targeting immune cells responsible for attacking the insulin-producing beta cells. The goal of this drug is to delay the onset of clinical diabetes.  Research has shown that treatment with this drug can delay the development of type 1 diabetes in people at high risk by an average of three years.

New approaches that include immunotherapy can also help in restoring the function of the pancreas by modulating the immune system. This involves using monoclonal antibodies to target the immune cells that attack the insulin producing beta cells. This slows down the progression of the disease.

The concept of oral insulin is also gaining ground and researchers have been working on this as this can be a more effective way to deliver insulin. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has also been used in the research of diabetes which includes studies on why certain individuals are more prone to get the disease.  They are  also being used to develop new biomarkers and therapeutic agents for treatment. 

The treatment and care of diabetes is multidimensional with various levels interactions between environment, clinical and genetic factors. Early detection is the key to control diabetes and to facilitate this there needs sufficient screening facilities.  

— The author, Vanita Srivastava, is a science writer and the views expressed are personal.