WINK NEWS
The injection of a life is in the works. A revolutionary drug could soon be approved to delay type 1 diabetes. We looked at how the recording would work, what it would take for it to become a reality, and talked to those for whom this would be a game changer.
About three years ago, doctors diagnosed Stephanie Rochelle’s son Finn with type 1 diabetes.
“They stabbed him in the finger and his sugar was 380 at the time,” said Rochelle.
Rochelle says – because Finn was so small – the doctors had difficulty drawing his blood and had to pin him down. But the strain followed the family outside of the hospital as well.
“Eight, 10, 12 finger pricks a day. Eight, 10, 12 injections a day, ”explained Rochelle. “I had to quit my job. I have had a very good career. “
Rochelle says Finn needed constant care to manage his diabetes. But the older he gets, the easier it gets.
“He understands when I say, ‘Give yourself 50 carbs; give yourself 50 carbs, ”said Rochelle. “He knows what it is. With two he obviously can’t do it himself. “
A new drug gives hope to families like Rochelle’s.
Teplizumab is an injection that stops the immune cells that cause type 1 diabetes. The study patients received two weeks of treatment. More than 900 days later, 50% of the patients remained diabetes-free.
The FDA’s advisory committee voted to approve the drug back in May. The FDA is expected to make a final decision on Friday, July 2nd.
Rochelle says while it’s not a cure, the extra time would be a big step forward.
“I would probably have kept my job a while until we found a solution to our problem,” said Rochelle. “The learning curve would not have been that big.”
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