Tzield (teplizumab) became the first therapy to delay type 1 diabetes rather than manage it, in a disease that had only ever been treated by replacing insulin.
This anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody modulates autoreactive T cells to help preserve remaining insulin-producing beta cell function. A 14-day course of daily intravenous infusions delays the onset of Stage 3 type 1 diabetes in adults and children 8 years and older who have Stage 2 disease.
Tzield’s commercial challenge is its dependence on autoantibody screening infrastructure, since Stage 2 patients must be identified before symptoms appear. As the first disease-modifying therapy in type 1 diabetes, it validates the screen-and-intervene model later immunotherapies are pursuing.
