First UK patient given groundbreaking diabetes drug in Birmingham

A patient has become the first in the UK to receive a pioneering drug designed to delay the onset of Type 1 diabetes.

Annette Quilter, from Shropshire, received the first NHS dose of Teplizumab at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) this week.

The treatment can delay the progression of early-stage Type 1 diabetes, potentially giving patients more time before they need to start taking insulin.

The 42-year-old, who was diagnosed with Stage 2 Type 1 diabetes in the summer, was identified as eligible following screening and assessment.

A GP and mother of three, she said the diagnosis had come as a shock.

“Luckily, it was picked up early enough for this new treatment to be an option for me, the team here have worked really hard to make it happen quickly,” she said.

“To have a little bit of breathing space before I need to start insulin, and time to prepare for that, means a great deal.”

Type 1 diabetes is caused when the body’s own immune system starts attacking the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

It is different from the type 2 form of the disease, which is often – but not always – associated with being overweight.