Teplizumab will keep UK at forefront of diabetes care, expert says

The first ever immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes is critical for keeping the UK at the forefront of diabetes care, a top consultant has said.

Professor Parth Narendran, from the University of Birmingham, has outlined that teplizumab is currently one of the most exciting advances in diabetes and he is hopeful that people will have access to this medicine in the near future.

In addition, he has emphasised the importance of screening for type 1 diabetes, which will significantly contribute to finding those with early type 1 diabetes for whom we can offer this medicine.

Professor Narendran said: “Hybrid closed-loop (HCL) systems are brilliant but does not address all of the challenges of living with type 1 diabetes, prevention is far better”.

“This is something we now need to learn to be comfortable with, just like we did with HCL systems. We need to train healthcare professionals to use disease-modifying medicines.”

This comes after the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) confirmed teplizumab, also known as Tzield, is safe and effective at delaying the development of type 1 diabetes for people in the early stages of the condition. The MHRA licensed this medicine in August 2025.  This is the world’s first licensed immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes, tackling the root cause of the condition – the immune system attack on insulin-making beta cells in the pancreas.

By slowing this attack, teplizumab can protect beta cells and delay the need for insulin treatment in people with early type 1 diabetes for around three years on average.

The drug has been approved for people aged eight years and over in the UK who have early stage type 1 diabetes, the symptomless phase where the immune system has begun its attack, but the body is still able to produce some insulin.

Following authorisation in the US, the UK is the first country in Europe to be granted a licence. Until now, available options have focused solely on managing the symptomatic disease.

According to Professor Narendran, many individuals living with type 1 diabetes are eager for teplizumab.

He said: “People living with the condition want access to this medicine, and so do healthcare professionals. It is a very important move.”