INNODIA trial shows existing drug may slow the progression of type 1 diabetes

Listen to the highlights from day four of the 2025 EASD conference.

What is ATG and why was it investigated?

Anti Thymocyte Globulin (ATG) is an immunosuppressant drug, meaning it stops your body’s immune system mistakenly attacking and destroying its own cells. It is currently used when someone has an organ transplantation, to stop their body from rejecting the new organ.

ATG targets immune cells, more specifically the immune cells called T-cells. T-cells are white blood cells which are involved in fighting infection and can also lead to autoimmune conditions, such as T1D. Autoimmune conditions occur when the T-cells mistake the body’s own cells as foreign and destroy them.

The drug was tested in people aged 5-25 years of age who had been found through screening programmes in the early stages of Type 1 Diabetes. It was conducted in 14 hospitals in eight different countries. A study published in 2018 showed that ATG was able to keep the balance between attacking and regulating cells within the immune system, helping to preserve insulin secretion in people with early stage T1D. The aim of this study was to define the lowest effective dose of ATG treatment.

What did the results of the trials show?

Results, published in the Lancet, showed that ATG is safe and effective in preventing the progression of T1D in young people at lower doses than previously investigated.

To read the Lancet article, click here

The results showed that both the higher and lower doses of ATG worked similarly in preserving C-peptide concentration. C peptide is a protein released into the blood when insulin is secreted, meaning it can be used to see if beta cells are still functioning. The lower dose, however, had fewer side effects when compared to the higher dose. This is a positive result for the researchers as it proved that ATG at a lower dose is safe and effective in people as young as five years old.