In continuation of my update on alefacept (Amevive)
A drug formerly used to treat the skin condition psoriasis shows promise in treating type 1 diabetes, according to a new study.
Both psoriasis and type 1 diabetes are autoimmune disorders. The drug alefacept (Amevive) is an immune-suppressing drug that was used to treat psoriasis but was withdrawn by its manufacturer in 2011. The drug maker, Astellas Pharma U.S., said at the time that "business needs" led to its decision to pull the drug from the market.
The new study included 49 type 1 diabetes patients at 14 medical centers in the United States. Thirty-three of the patients received weekly injections of alefacept for 12 weeks, followed by a break of 12 weeks and then another 12 weekly doses of the drug. Sixteen patients received a placebo on the same schedule.
The clinical trial's main outcome was a measure of how well the pancreas could secrete insulin in response to food, two hours after eating. Using this measure, the researchers found no significant differences between the two groups of patients.
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