27/05/2026
NEW DRUG APPROVED IN AUSTRALIA TO DELAY ONSET OF TYPE 1 DIABETES
The Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved Tzield, also known as teplizumab, for people aged 8+ who are in stage 2 type 1 diabetes.
Stage 2 means people who are already in the early, pre-symptomatic stages of type 1, but don’t yet have the symptoms or daily insulin needs of clinical T1D.
WHY DOES THIS MATTER?
For more than 100 years, since the discovery of insulin, type 1 diabetes care has mostly been about managing the condition after diagnosis.
Tzield is different. It targets the immune attack on the beta cells and can delay progression to stage 3 type 1 diabetes by around two years, on average.
That is not a cure. But it is a real shift.
For families living with type 1 diabetes, this may also lift a little weight off the chest, as there is something that can be done if type 1 is caught in the early stages. This may also mean that screening becomes more appealing.
Immediate family members can be screened to see if they carry the gene for T1D. If they do, the person can be monitored over time to see if their immune is ever triggered to begin attacking the beta cells in the pancreas. If that happens, and the blood glucose changes show stage 2 has arrived, Tzield may now be an option to prolong the progression to stage 3, and the need for insulin.
To learn more about screening, start here:
https://type1screen.org/
One important caveat: Tzield is not currently listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which means it is not yet subsidised by the Australian Government. Advocacy is already underway to make access fairer and more affordable.
Approval is the door opening. PBS listing is the next big step. We will of course keep you updated as more information becomes available.
