First adult in the UK given new treatment for type 1 diabetes
Ella Day | July 9, 2025 | News story | |
The first adult in the UK to trial Tepilzumab for type 1 diabetes has started treatment at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, raising the possibility of a future cure for the disease. Currently, it is used by a small number of children and young people in the UK.
The treatment was administered to –36-year-old – Hannah Robinson, who discovered she was in the early stages of developing type 1 diabetes during pregnancy. Tepilzumab delays the need for insulin by up to three years when given to patients at the earliest stage of the disease.
“For me, this new drug offers more freedom and the chance to focus on my health,” said Robinson. “This treatment could potentially pave the way for a future cure for type 1 diabetes, which is incredible. I feel very lucky to be part of this.”
Type 1 diabetes is caused when the body’s immune system attacks beta cells in the pancreas. Teplizumab can delay the need for insulin by up to three years by training the immune system to stop attacking these cells.
Nick Thomas, the diabetes consultant treating Hannah at the Royal Devon and academic clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter, said: “This new treatment represents a really exciting shift in how we manage type 1 diabetes.”
For the first time ever, we will be able to provide targeted treatment early enough in the process to alter the underlying immune process.
Over 270,000 people in the UK are living with type 1 diabetes and use daily insulin to manage blood sugar levels. It can develop at any age and there is currently no cure.
The research has been supported by the National Institute of Health and Care Research and the University of Exeter.
Ella Day
9/7/25
