Diamyd Medical wins Swedish approval for diabetes vaccine study

Published: 10-Mar-2009

Study comprises of 50 children from four years of age

Diamyd Medical, a biopharmaceutical company, has announced that the Swedish Medical Products Agency has approved a study with the Diamyd diabetes vaccine in children with high risk to develop type 1 diabetes.

The approved study comprises, under the present approval, up to 50 children from four years of age who are known to have a high risk of developing type 1 diabetes. The study will be randomized and placebo controlled.

If vaccination with Diamyd succeeds to intervene in the disease process before too many of the insulin cells are destroyed, the disease will be prevented. The child would then escape diabetes symptoms and would not become dependent on insulin injections for survival, which otherwise is unavoidable, the company said.

Elisabeth Lindner, president and CEO of Diamyd, said: To vaccinate children against diabetes has from the outset been one of Diamyd Medical's long term goals. Type 1 diabetes is a life-long and very serious disease and it is good if we now can prevent it. It would avoid a lot of anxiety, suffering and costs for the children and their families as well as the rest of society.

Diamyd Medical is a Swedish biopharmaceutical company focusing on development of pharmaceuticals for treatment of autoimmune diabetes and its complications. The company has also started clinical studies on chronic pain. The company also has out-licensed the use of GAD for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

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