A new therapy that could treat people with diabetes suffering from Covid-19 is undergoing an advanced clinical trial in the UK with the first patient due to have received the first dose at the end of August.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Agency (MHRA) has approved the trial –named ARCADIA – following preclinical research that suggests a glucose kinase activator (AZD1656) could help people with diabetes infected with coronavirus by dampening the overactive response of the immune system typically acute in those patients with raised blood glucose levels. The trial will involve hospitalised patients with mild to moderate Covid-19 symptoms and, if successful, the compound could ultimately be prescribed by a GP for people with diabetes presenting with early Covid-19 symptoms.
