AMHERST, N.Y. — Dr. Paresh Dandona of the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine may have discovered a drug that could change the way type 1 diabetes is treated.
“What I’m talking about right now is far ahead of anyone in the world in this field today,” D’Andona said. “If I had been at Harvard, this would have been a big deal.”
D’Andona is a professor emeritus at New York University Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine.
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His research has found that treating patients with type 1 diabetes can:For those who still meet a certain threshold of insulin production, there may be ways to reduce the amount of insulin they inject.
D’Andona found that treating these type 1 diabetic patients with semaglutide, a drug found in products such as Ozempic, could significantly reduce or even eliminate the need for insulin injections. did.
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“All treatments eliminated the need for fast-acting insulin within six months,” D’Andona said.
There are several types of diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes, the most common and preventable type, is when the body has insulin but doesn’t use it enough to keep blood sugar levels at normal levels, according to the CDC.
Type 1 diabetes is a reaction in which the body completely stops producing insulin, and there is no prevention or cure.
One of Dr. D’Andona’s patients, Ginny Block, shared her struggle with being diagnosed with Type 1.
A year and a half ago, Block was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. She lives in Colorado and although she has never been to Buffalo, her help led her to UB.
“The insulin issue is really complex,” Block says. “I emailed him and I never expected to hear back. Within 10 minutes he got back to me, I spoke to him on the phone and he started the process. did.”
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Since I started using semaglutide medication, I no longer need injections with every meal.
The treatment reduced her weekly injections by more than 90%, reducing her to one drug and one long-acting insulin.
“I’m so grateful and I love him,” Bullock said.
“One of the joys of being a doctor is seeing patients get better,” D’Andona said.
He is still researching these effects and encourages other diabetics to contact him by emailing dandona.diabetes@gmail.com.