How Insulin Infusion Can Help Diabetics

What Is Type 1 Diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the patient’s immune system attacks healthy cells. The immune system is responsible for preventing and combating disease. It produces specialized cells that identify foreign substances, such as bacteria, viruses, and toxins, and eliminates them to keep the body healthy. Autoimmune diseases cause the immune system to misidentify normal cells as intruders. As a result, the body attacks and harms itself.

In patients with type 1 diabetes, the immune system treats beta cells in the pancreas as foreign invaders. Beta cells create insulin, a hormone that helps metabolize blood sugar. If too many beta cells are destroyed, the pancreas cannot make enough insulin. The body loses its ability to turn food into energy, causing symptoms such as:

• Excessive thirst
• Frequent urination and bedwetting
• Excessive hunger
• Unexplained weight loss
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Slowed healing of injuries
• Frequent skin infections
• Mood swings
• Irritability

Untreated type 1 diabetes can lead to severe, sometimes life-threatening, consequences. Heart disease, kidney failure, nerve damage, blindness, and hearing loss are just a few possible complications of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is incurable, meaning that long-term management is necessary to control its symptoms and prevent complications.

It is important to note that many people who experience one or more of the symptoms listed above will not have type 1 diabetes. Nonetheless, it is important to consult a physician about these symptoms, particularly if they are pronounced, arose suddenly, or have persisted for an extended period. Prompt evaluation will enable a doctor to address your concerns and to provide a treatment plan.

Traditional Diabetes Treatments Have Limitations

Traditionally, type 1 diabetes is treated with insulin injections. Patients need to inject insulin daily, often multiple times a day, to replace the missing hormone. The appropriate dosage depends on the patient’s age, weight, physical activity, and normal insulin levels. It must also be adjusted to account for the types of food consumed. While effective, this approach has some limitations:

• Financial stress: While different types of insulin cost more than others, many are expensive, especially when purchased in the large quantities necessary.
• Challenging administration: Keeping track of insulin can be difficult for patients, especially children, but missing a dose may trigger a health emergency.
• Social alienation: Children who need insulin injections or a pump may find themselves alienated from their peers as a result, causing loneliness and social stress.
• Physical effects: Long-term insulin usage can cause side effects such as weight gain, irritated skin, and hypoglycemia, or dangerously low blood sugar levels.
• Hypoglycemic unawareness: After repeated episodes of hypoglycemia, patients gain decreased awareness of its warning signs, increasing the risk of recurrence.

These limitations can cause significant stress for patients and their families. Up until recently, however, they have been unavoidable.

Transforming Diabetes Outcomes with Insulin Infusion Therapy

Recently, clinical trials have explored new infusion therapies that could relieve many of the stresses caused by type 1 diabetes treatment. Infusion therapy is an intravenous (IV) treatment approach that provides a slow, controlled dosage of medication into the bloodstream, often over a period of minutes or hours. In contrast, injections are fast applications into the skin, fat, or muscle. Infusion therapy offers several advantages over injections, including:

• Precise dosage control
• Reliable absorption
• Steadier medication levels
• Reduced side effects

Infusion therapy can be used to treat a variety of chronic and acute conditions, from cancer to asthma. Autoimmune conditions are one of the biggest areas of infusion therapy development, and outcomes are looking good for type 1 diabetes treatments.

Types of Infusion Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes

Two different infusion therapies have been approved for type 1 diabetes in recent years. The first is designed for children with the goal of preventing or delaying the disease, while the other is intended to assist adult patients with long-term management. These therapies include:

Teplizumab

Teplizumab is an immunotherapy that is delivered over 14 consecutive days of infusion. It works by “turning off” the immune cells that attack insulin-producing beta cells. By deactivating these cells, it aims to protect beta cells against further damage.

This treatment type is most effective in children with early-stage diabetes, as it can delay the onset of diabetes for several years. Patients enjoy a normal childhood with reduced need for insulin injections, dietary monitoring, and lifestyle limitations. When the effects of the drug wear off, the patient is nearing adulthood and better equipped to manage diabetes effectively.

Teplizumab was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2022 and is the first disease-modifying therapy for type 1 diabetes.

Donislecel

Donislecel is a cellular therapy made from deceased donor pancreatic cells, delivered through a single infusion into the vein serving the liver. These cells can often secrete enough insulin that the patient no longer needs injections or a pump to manage their blood sugar levels.

This therapy is designed for adult patients. A single infusion delivered alongside immunosuppressive medications can provide up to five years of insulin independence. Some patients experience more than five years of independence. After the effects of donislecel fade, an additional infusion may be performed depending on the patient’s response to the first.

Donislecel was approved by the FDA in 2023 for patients who cannot reach healthy blood sugar levels, despite intensive management. For these patients, cellular transplants can be lifesaving.

Continuing Diabetes Research

Teplizumab and donislecel are breaking ground in type 1 diabetes care, and innovation does not stop there. Researchers are continuing to explore new applications and therapies for type 1 diabetes. For example, studies have been launched to evaluate whether teplizumab can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes for at-risk children who have not yet developed the disease. Other studies have been proposed to investigate whether patients may benefit from additional infusions.

Researchers and healthcare professionals are excited about the future of diabetes care. As more research is performed and more therapies are discovered, the options for patients will only get better.

Find Comprehensive Infusion Therapy Near You in NJ, CT, MA, and the Washington, D.C., area

Infusion therapy is a powerful treatment that can provide improved outcomes for many diseases, not just diabetes. Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA) performs infusions in a comfortable setting at over 20 locations near you across New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and the Washington, D.C., area, allowing patients to receive cutting-edge care close to home. To learn more about RCCA, call 844-346-7222 or visit RCCA.com.

Frequently Asked Questions About Diabetes and Insulin Infusion

What is type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition that destroys insulin-producing cells. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body absorb blood sugar.

What is hyperglycemia?

Hyperglycemia is the medical term for high blood sugar. It causes increased thirst or hunger, frequent urination, headaches, blurred vision, fatigue, weight loss, and slowed healing. Severe or long-term hyperglycemia can cause permanent health complications if left untreated.

What infusion therapies are available for type 1 diabetes?

There are currently two infusion therapies approved for type 1 diabetes, teplizumab and donislecel.

How can I receive infusion therapy for type 1 diabetes?

If you or your child has type 1 diabetes, speak with your primary care provider about whether infusion therapy is the best option for you.