The United States has extended the use of Tzield, a Sanofi treatment for stage 2 type 1 diabetes, to children aged one year and older, allowing to “delay the onset of stage 3,” announced the pharmaceutical company on Wednesday.
The treatment was previously only reserved for children aged eight and older in the United States.
This approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “opens an important new chapter in the management of diabetes in young children with stage 2 type 1 diabetes and their families,” said Kimber Simmons, associate professor of pediatrics at the Barbara Davis Center in Aurora, United States, cited in Sanofi’s press release.
“This is particularly important as these children often face the highest risk of rapid and invisible progression,” she added.
In Europe, the European Commission approved the marketing in the EU of the same Sanofi treatment in January, under the name “Teizeild,” for children as young as eight years old.
Administered by infusion, it does not cure but slows the progression of this chronic disease by slowing the autoimmune reaction. It works when diabetes is detectable but before the onset of symptoms (stage 2) to slow its progression to the clinical stage of the disease (stage 3) that requires insulin injections to lower blood sugar levels.
In 2023, Sanofi acquired the American biotech company Provention Bio for $2.9 billion, aiming to strengthen its diabetes and immune disease treatments.
Revenue from type 1 diabetes treatments in key markets is expected to reach $9.9 billion in 2033, driven by the arrival of several advanced-stage products, including immunomodulatory agents. The United States is set to dominate this market, accounting for up to 91.6% in 2033, according to GlobalData, a company providing market studies and analysis.
