Early-Stage Diabetes Treatment Wows Patients and Clinicians Alike

In October, Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced stunning results in a type 1 diabetes patient who had been dosed with the company’s experimental fully differentiated pancreatic islet cell replacement therapy. After an infusion of VX-880, the patient began to produce his own insulin.

Over the holiday weekend, The New York Times profiled the patient’s success story. Brian Shelton was a former postal delivery carrier forced into early retirement due to diabetes. On multiple occasions, his blood sugar fell and he lost consciousness. Several of the incidents occurred while he was driving. Shelton was enrolled in the Vertex Phase I study and became the first to be infused with the company’s experimental treatment.