First Kid In San Diego To Delay Type 1 Diabetes With New Drug: Report

SAN DIEGO, CA — Doctors detected developing diabetes in Mason Webb, a 12-year-old from Pacific Beach — a rare early catch and one that is likely to benefit him enormously.

That discovery qualified Webb to try a new drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2022 to delay the onset of Type 1 diabetes in children and adults, the San Diego Union-Tribute reported.

Recently, the seventh grader has been receiving daily infusions of Teplizumab, which is marketed as Tzield, at Rady Children’s Hospital, according to the newspaper.

The drug, however, only works when diabetes is caught in its early stages when no symptoms are present. During that window, the drug can block mistargeted white blood cells that cause the immune system to kill insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, according to the report.

“What’s so exciting is this is the first FDA-approved drug we’ve ever had that can delay onset,” said Dr. Carla Demeterco-Berggren, the pediatric endocrinologist heading up the Tzield effort at the children's hospital. “It’s a big, big deal.”

Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.