L'EmmaEuropean Medicines Agency, granted authorization for the first weekly insulin in the world for the treatment of adult patients with diabetes. The goal is to improve the quality of life of those affected by this disease, effectively reducing the number of insulin administrations, which go from daily to weekly.
Diabetes, EMA approves weekly insulin
The EMA, in communicating its authorization to the first insulin weekly for diabetes to the world, spoke of “an unprecedented novelty 101 years after the discovery of insulin”. This progress in the scientific field “could have a positive impact on the management of diabetes and could change the quality of life of patients. Because in a year, from a minimum of 365 injections go to 52“.
Problems related to daily insulin
As highlighted by the Danish pharmaceutical group Novo Nordiskthe daily injection of insulin in patients with diabetes it encounters practical problems that are not negligible.
“Today – says the company – the insulin therapy requires the patient to administer insulin at least once a day, with an impact that ranges from the management of the therapy itself to the social, work and psychological spheres of the person with diabetes and their family. An aspect linked in particular to the need to monitor the disease on a daily basis, planning the entire day accordingly. The number of injections – he added – it can represent an important obstacle in terms of quality of life and adherence to therapy. In fact, the data shows that 50 percent of people with diabetes who require insulin therapy delay the start of treatment by more than 2 years, with repercussions on the management of the pathology and its complications”.
To the potential improvement of patients' quality of lifewe also add the fact that the reduction in injections will bring obvious benefits also in terms of environmental sustainabilitywith a clear reduction in CO2 emissions.
Weekly insulin
In the note fromEmma we read that “in phase 3 clinical trials theweekly insulin it allowed a reduction in blood sugar (measured as a change in glycated hemoglobin HbA1c) compared to daily basal insulin, promoting glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes. Added to this is the fact that chronic diseases, such as the diabetescan have a huge negative impact on the patient's social relationships, with the reduction of injections potentially leading to a marked improvement in lifestyle.
Data on diabetes in Italy
The approval of theweekly insulin by theEmma is of great interestItaly where, according to official data, around 6 percent of the population suffers from diabetes (about 4 million people). Furthermore, this would be an underestimated figure, with the missed diagnoses being around 1.5 million.
For the professor Riccardo Candido, president of the Association of Diabetes Doctors (AMD) “the approval by the EMA of the new weekly insulin heralds a revolution for people with diabetes on insulin therapy”. “The reduction in the frequency of injections, simplifying the treatment – he added – promises to improve therapeutic adherence, ultimately allowing better glycemic control. Furthermore, the frequency of insulin injections has always been one of the causes of the age-old problem of therapeutic inertia in diabetology, often due to professionals and patients who delayed the start of insulin therapy, worried about the complexity of the treatment process”.
