Daily pill could replace insulin jabs for diabetics

THE discovery that a daily arthritis pill can delay Type 1 diabetes has been hailed as an “exciting” step in treating the disease.

- By Hanna Geissler Health Editor

Baricitinib can halt the attack on the immune system in which the pancreas’ insulin-producing cells are mistakenly destroyed.

Australian scientists gave 91 newly diagnosed patients aged from 10 to 30 either baricitinib or a placebo.

Those given the medication had less blood sugar fluctuation and a reduced need for insulin injections.