Diabetes increases the risk of kidney failure, stroke and most often leg amputation, not to mention the psychological and socio-economic impacts.
Patients with type 1 diabetes, forced to undergo treatment with insulin injections, are already rejoicing after the announcement of the promising results of studies to develop a tablet that will replace injections. On the lookout for novelties brought by researchers around the world, these people are impatient to see the treatment land in Morocco. But it is still early, says Dr Tayeb Hamdi. All that remains is to validate it on an international scale and then to begin the procedure for its integration into the Moroccan market.
Good news for patients with type 1 diabetes. Canadian researchers are showing promising results for a drug that could replace insulin injections, which are essential for the treatment of the disease. Joined by “Le Matin”, Dr. Tayeb Hamdi, medical researcher in health policies and systems, believes that this study is revolutionary since it proposes an insulin formulation that no longer needs to be injected before each meal, thus improving the quality of lives and morale of millions of type 1 diabetics around the world. In detail, Dr. Hamdi explains that the drug proposed by the researchers contains insulin to be swallowed without there being the risk that it will be destroyed in the digestive system. “All insulin goes directly to the liver without being destroyed in the stomach, giving virtually the same results as injectable insulin,” he notes.
The research team, adds Dr. Hamdi, also designed another type of insulin tablet that dissolves when placed between the gum and the cheek. “This technique brings insulin directly to the liver without it being wasted or broken down,” he explains. And to add that these researchers are on the right track, knowing that many studies have been launched before, without there being significant results. Our interlocutor wishes, however, to specify that the tablet has been tested on rats and that human trials remain unavoidable.
Once the study is finalized, it will be carried out by a laboratory for the marketing of the product, possibly in Morocco under authorization from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection. In other words, there is still a long way to go! Pending the marketing of this drug, patients are called upon to continue their treatment at the risk of seeing their state of health deteriorate. On this aspect, Dr. Hamdi recalls that type 1 diabetes, which particularly affects children and adolescents under 20, greatly increases the risk of kidney failure, stroke and most often amputation. legs, not to mention the psychological and socio-economic impacts.
On the cost side, the specialist hopes that the drug proposed by the researchers will be within reach of patients. It should be remembered, in this regard, that tens of millions of diabetics throughout the world encounter difficulties in gaining access to insulin at an affordable price. The finding was made in 2021 by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the occasion of World Diabetes Day, celebrated on November 14. This problem is acute, according to the organization, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, but also in countries where drug prices are poorly regulated, such as the United States, for example. It should be noted, moreover, that studies are being launched around the world to propose methods capable of putting an end to diabetes. These researchers rely instead on the transplantation of stem cells that produce insulin in the liver. The studies, it seems, have been progressing very well in recent years!