A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND drug that can delay the onset of Type 1 diabetes by an average of nearly three years is to be made available on the NHS, following approval by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Teplizumab was recommended in NICE’s final draft guidance on 23rd June 2026, for children (aged at least eight years) and adults who have stage 2 Type 1 diabetes.
Delaying Onset of Type 1 Diabetes
The drug works by attaching to the protein CD3, found on the surface of immune cells responsible for attacking insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, ultimately regulating the immune system.
Consequently, damage to the pancreas is limited and disease onset delayed.
Through impeding the onset of stage 3, symptomatic, Type 1 diabetes, teplizumab will enable people to take extra time before the burden of lifelong diabetes management ensues.
Children and young people will particularly benefit, having more time to reach key developmental milestones before stage 3 diabetes.
Rollout
NICE reported that an estimated 1,100 people could be eligible for teplizumab in the first year, decreasing to a steady rate of 820 patients per year from year three onwards.
The first step in assessing eligibility for treatment with teplizumab is screening for Type 1 autoantibodies.
In the UK, both the Early Surveillance for Autoimmune diabetes study and the T1DRA study are available for screening, for children aged two to 17 years and adults aged 18 to 70 years, respectively.
Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation, NICE, London, UK, said: “This is a genuinely exciting recommendation.
“For the first time, we have a treatment that can give people diagnosed at an early stage of Type 1 diabetes precious extra time before they need to manage the full demands of the condition.”
Reference
National Institute for Heath and Care Excellence. First disease-modifying therapy to delay the onset of type 1 diabetes recommended for NHS use. 2026. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/news/articles/teplizumab-to-delay-the-onset-of-type-1-diabetes-recommended. Last accessed: 27 June 2026.
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