From the Desk of Bob McNett…….
Johnson & Johnson Testing Possible Diabetes Cure……
Johnson & Johnson, the mega consumer goods and pharmaceutical company, has joined forces with biotech company ViaCyte to begin human testing of a stem cell treatment that could cure Type 1 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is the type of diabetes that first manifests itself in young people, as opposed to Type 2 diabetes, which many times first develops in middle-age to older individuals.
However, says Johnson & Johnson, if the treatment, which is now being tested in a small number of patients, shows good effects in Type 1 patients, it could prove to be a cure for Type 2 patients as well.
If it works as well with humans as it has in extensive animal testing, according to the company, it would amount to a cure for the wide-spread disease. It could mean the end of frequent insulin injections and blood sugar testing.
The therapy involves inducing embryonic stem cells to turn into insulin-producing cells while inside a small capsule that is implanted under the skin. The capsule protects the cells from the immune system, which otherwise would attack them as invaders.
This “Encaptra Delivery System” is the latest innovation from Johnson & Johnson, which is continuing a long quest for a cure for the disease.
This latest health care advance follows the recent introduction of a new drug that cures Hepatitis B in most patients. Hepatitis B, the liver ailment that can lead to a transplant or even death, is now curable, even though a several-month-long drug treatment is extremely expensive.
No word yet about the potential price tag of this new, potential diabetes cure. Like the Hepatitis B cure, this new treatment for diabetes could be a huge boon for sufferers of a widespread, chronic health condition.
New health care technologies is a major factor in increased U.S. health care spending. New treatments can reduce costs in the long-term, avoiding the necessity of organ transplants, heart disease, etc., and can enhance the lives of so many patients that can be cured of diseases heretofore incurable. But near-term costs are increased by new technologies. This begs the question……At what point does our health care system become so expensive that most people can’t afford it?
Robert K. McNett, LUTCF
The McNett Agency
918 294 3712 Fax 918 494 6725
Toll Free 1 866 497 7119