Ozempic-style drug shows promise for type 1 diabetes

Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, has shown potential to improve blood sugar control in people with type 1 diabetes, a clinical trial has found.

The drug, already used to treat type 2 diabetes and support weight loss, may offer a new treatment option for type 1, used alongside insulin.

Researchers at Indiana University, led by diabetes specialist Dr Viral Shah, tested whether semaglutide could benefit people with type 1 diabetes who also develop insulin resistance – a condition sometimes referred to as “double diabetes”, where patients have features of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Shah told Live Science: “For a hundred years, we are fixated on insulin and insulin delivery … and there aren’t really extra medications that are approved for type 1.”

While some add-on treatments exist, Shah said Ozempic-like drugs could eventually become first-line options.

The 26-week trial involved 72 participants with type 1 diabetes and obesity. Half received weekly semaglutide injections, while the other half received a placebo.

All continued insulin therapy throughout the trial. Blood glucose was monitored using continuous glucose monitors, which track levels throughout the day.

Participants who received semaglutide stayed within target blood sugar ranges more than 70 per cent of the time, experienced fewer episodes of low blood sugar, and lost at least 5 per cent of their body weight. No one in the placebo group achieved all three outcomes.

Semaglutide belongs to a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists.

These medications work by reducing hormones produced by the liver that raise blood sugar, slowing digestion to help people feel full for longer, and giving the pancreas more time to release insulin after meals.

Although type 1 and type 2 diabetes have different underlying causes, people with type 1 diabetes – particularly those with obesity – may develop insulin resistance.

This increases the risk of complications such as nerve damage, foot ulcers and vision problems.

Shah said: “Type 1 diabetes does not exclude the presence of type 2 diabetes.

“People with the double diabetes phenotype may benefit from some of the medications that are currently approved for type 2 diabetes.”

Ahmad Haidar, a diabetes researcher at McGill University in Canada who was not involved in the trial, said the findings add to the growing evidence base but remain preliminary.

The researcher said: “It’s an important study that adds to the existing evidence toward the safety and efficacy of the use of semaglutide in type 1, but it is not enough.

 “We need more evidence to help these drugs be approved by regulatory agencies.”

Shah and his team hope that larger clinical trials with more participants will provide the evidence needed for approval.

If approved, semaglutide could be included in type 1 diabetes care guidelines and potentially be covered by health insurance.