Rheumatoid arthritis drug ‘offers new hope for type 1 diabetics’

A world-first trial of a rheumatoid arthritis drug is offering new hope for type 1 diabetics (Julien Behal/PA)

A drug commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis can suppress the progression of type 1 diabetes in recently diagnosed patients, scientists have said.

In a world-first clinical trial, researchers in Australia have found that baricitinib can preserve the body’s own insulin production, reducing the amount of insulin needed to treat the condition.