A clinical trial funded by JDRF has found that an existing drug called verapamil slowed the progression of Type 1 diabetes in newly diagnosed children and adolescents.
The clinical trial involving 88 children aged 8 – 17 years found that a daily tablet of verapamil slowed the rate of insulin-producing beta cell destruction in young people newly diagnosed with Type 1 a year after their diagnosis. This was measured by C-peptide levels, which were 30% higher in the group who were given verapamil than the control group who received a non-active placebo.
Dr Sanjoy Dutta, Chief Scientific Officer of JDRF International, said: “Safe, effective therapies are urgently needed to delay disease progression in people recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. The CLVer study is the second trial showing that verapamil, an inexpensive and widely used blood pressure medication, can preserve beta cells in the new onset period, making us one step closer to our goal of having disease-modifying therapies widely available for people with Type 1 diabetes.”
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