LATEST DIABETES NEWS IN THE UK

Here are the major new developments in diabetes in the UK as of August 2025:

Summary Table

Area	What’s New (2025)
Type 2 Diabetes Treatment	Early use of SGLT-2 inhibitors, personalised drug matching tool
Type 1 Diabetes	First UK approval of immunotherapy drug teplizumab
Guidelines	Focus on personalised plans and prevention/remission strategies
Technology	Advances in glucose monitoring and gene therapy research

These innovations represent a dramatic step forward for diabetes care in the UK, focusing on personalisation, prevention, and early intervention for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.exeterbrc.nihr+6

Here’s the detail:-

1. Major Update in Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Guidelines

• The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has announced the biggest shake-up in type 2 diabetes care in a decade (August 2025).
• The new draft guidelines move away from a “one-size-fits-all” model. Instead of automatically starting everyone on the same first-line medicine, doctors are now encouraged to provide personalised treatment plans that take into account individual risk factors and co-existing conditions.
• Access to newer diabetes medicines called SGLT-2 inhibitors (canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, empagliflozin, ertugliflozin) has shifted: they can now be used as first-choice treatments, rather than only after other drugs fail. These medicines not only lower blood sugar but also protect the heart and kidneys.
• For patients unable to take metformin, guidelines recommend starting directly with an SGLT-2 inhibitor.nice+2

2. Precision Medicine: Personalised Drug Matching Tool

• Researchers have developed a groundbreaking, low-cost tool using routine clinical measures (like sex, weight, standard blood tests) to predict which glucose-lowering drug will be most effective for each person with type 2 diabetes. This precision medicine model means people are more likely to get the right medication from the start, improving outcomes and potentially reducing complications and NHS costs.ukri+2
• This tool is ready for immediate rollout in clinics and is based on data from over 1 million people with type 2 diabetes in the UK.news.exeter+1

3. First Immunotherapy Approved for Type 1 Diabetes: Teplizumab

• The first immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes, teplizumab (Tzield), has been approved in the UK.
• Teplizumab is designed to delay the progression of type 1 diabetes in people (aged 8+) who are at high risk but before they develop symptoms. It works by slowing immune attack on insulin-making cells, potentially delaying the need for insulin by around three years on average.diabetes+2
• The first adult in the UK began treatment with teplizumab in July 2025, marking a milestone for type 1 diabetes care. However, it is not yet routinely available on the NHS.royaldevon+1

4. New Prevention and Remission Guidelines

• Updated Scottish guidance (SIGN, March 2025) sets out best practices for prevention, early detection, and non-drug management of people at risk of type 2 diabetes, including those with prediabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, or prior gestational diabetes.

5. Technology and Gene Therapy Research

Diabetes UK is funding research into advanced glucose monitoring technologies and gene therapies aimed at both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, with promising early results in trials.diabetes+1