Results from a Phase-II Verapamil Study

Verapamil is a drug which has been used in the US since 1982 for high blood pressure, migraines, and heart problems.  It also lowers levels of a protein called TXNIP.  Some researchers believe this is important because they believe TXNIP kills beta cells as part of the onset of type-1 diabetes.  So giving Verapamil should lower TXNIP which should improve beta cell survival, and stop type-1 diabetes.  In addition TXNIP is pro-inflammatory, so lowering it should lower inflammation, which could also have a good effect on type-1 diabetes. Verapamil has already undergone phase-II trials for T1D in the United States, which I discuss below.

You can read my previous blogging on Verapamil here:
https://cureresearch4type1diabetes.blogspot.com/search/label/Verapamil

What Were The Results?

The summary is that, after one year, people who got Verapamil generated 30% more insulin, than people who did not.  However, it is important to remember, that one year after diagnoses, most people with T1D are generating almost no insulin at all.   So 30% of almost nothing is a pretty small difference between the Verapamil and non-Verapamil groups.

Over the years that I have been following honeymoon clinical trials, there have been a couple of treatments which, when measured after a year, the treated people were generating twice as much insulin as the untreated people.  So a bigger difference than seen here.  However, twice a very small amount is still a very small amount, and none of these treatments have become successful from such a small starting point.

JDRF's report: https://www.jdrf.ca/exciting-news-new-drug-in-clinical-trials-shows-slowed-type-1-diabetes-progression-in-newly-diagnosed-children-and-teens/?utm_source=ENTwitterVerapamil

News Coverage:
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/988806?src=soc_tw_230228_mscpedt_news_endo_diabetes&faf=1
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2801974

This Study: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04233034

Other Verapamil Studies

A previous, smaller study found that Verapamil treated people generated 40% more insulin after a year.  So pretty similar to these findings.

Previous Verapamil Study: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/results/NCT02372253

There is a third study underway, covering 138 people and expected to finish in February 2024.  I blogged about that one last year:
https://cureresearch4type1diabetes.blogspot.com/2022/02/verapamil-sr-starts-phase-ii-trial-ver.html

Another Verapamil Study: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT04545151

Joshua Levy

http://cureresearch4type1diabetes.blogspot.com

publicjoshualevy at gmail dot com

All the views expressed here are those of Joshua Levy, and nothing here is official JDRF or JDCA news, views, policies or opinions. My daughter has type-1 diabetes and participates in clinical trials, which might be discussed here. My blog contains a more complete non-conflict of interest statement. Thanks to everyone who helps with the blog.