IAA trial: abatacept combined with nasal insulin in recently diagnosed type 1 diabetes

IAA (Insulin And Abatacept) is a randomised controlled trial testing whether the combination of two safe disease-modifying therapies called abatacept and nasal insulin slows down the immune attack on the insulin-producing (beta) cells of people with newly-diagnosed type 1 diabetes. Abatacept is a disease-modifying medication approved for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in both adults and children. Abatacept has previously been shown to preserve beta cell function in people with recently-diagnosed type 1 diabetes. It is given as an injection under the skin, similar to an insulin injection.

Nasal insulin has also been previously tested by researchers in Melbourne. It is administered as a nasal spray, and is known to dampen the immune attack observed in type 1 diabetes. Combining both therapies could be more effective than either treatment alone and, if effective, could delay the need for insulin injections.

Approximately 60 participants will receive abatacept in combination with either nasal insulin or placebo over a 48-week period. Participants will be required to attend their local trial centre 16 times over two years. Five of these are extended visits lasting 3-4 hours, however the majority of visits will take less than one hour.

This trial is being run by the Australasian Type 1 Diabetes Immunotherapy Collaborative (ATIC).