A new JDRF-funded study will evaluate whether metformin—a drug commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes (T2D)—combined with standard insulin therapy could safely improve blood-glucose control in overweight children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D). For more than 50 years, metformin has proven safe and effective in helping to control blood-glucose levels in people with T2D. This new study is part of a major JDRF initiative to explore the possibilities of adapting T2D drugs for the treatment of T1D, and could help improve the standard of care for people with T1D beyond the use of insulin alone.

The randomized, multicenter clinical trial will study the effects of metformin combined with insulin therapy in approximately 136 overweight adolescents with T1D between the ages of 12 and 20. By monitoring a population whose age and weight place them at a higher risk for less stable blood-glucose control, researchers aim to determine metformin’s potential to benefit the broadly diverse population of people with T1D.

To read the press release from T1D Exchange, please click here.