The latest advances in Diabetes research and treatment

On 14 November, World Diabetes Day honors the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin in 1921. This year’s theme is “Early Action on Diabetes,” which stresses early diagnosis, prevention and access to quality care. 

According to the IDF, nearly one in nine adults, about 589 million people, now live with diabetes, and the figure is projected to reach 853 million by 2050. An estimated 252 million of them don’t know they have it, and global diabetes spending passed one trillion US dollars for the first time in 2024. The Middle East and North Africa is the hardest-hit region, with one in six adults living with diabetes, the highest share of any IDF region.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the body destroys its own insulin-producing cells. Type 2 diabetes accounts for more than 90% of cases. The third form, hyperglycaemia in pregnancy, affects roughly one in five pregnancies worldwide.

The IDF estimates that about 440,000 Lebanese adults had diabetes in 2024, with an age-standardized prevalence of 12.3%. It projects around 484,000 by 2050, or 14.5%. The figures need careful reading. These figures require careful interpretation. The estimate draws on a national survey that recorded previously diagnosed diabetes at 7.95%, while type 1 diabetes accounted for approximately 0.1% of the population. People who are undiagnosed would not appear in such a count.

The PREDICT study of Lebanese adults suggests the hidden burden is large. It found elevated blood sugar in 33% of younger adults, 46.3% of older adults and 58.5% of the elderly, and warned that prediabetes is a serious threat, especially among seemingly healthy younger people.

Treatment access is the other half of the story. Humanitarian groups have helped fill the gaps. in March 2026 Direct Relief shipped a six-month supply of insulin for 1,200 children with type 1 diabetes to a specialized pediatric center in Lebanon. MSF has reported that a patient's diabetes management changed drastically after she began using free glucose sensors provided by one of its clinics particularly when war broke out in September 2024.

Research toward a cure

The most striking progress is in type 1 diabetes. Teplizumab (Tzield) is the first drug that changes the course of the disease. It is a 14-day infusion that delays progression from stage 2 to symptomatic stage 3 by an average of 32 months. In June 2026, England’s NICE recommended it for people aged eight and over in the pre-symptomatic stage. The same month, the US approval expanded to children aged 8 to 17 recently diagnosed with stage 3. The catch is screening, because autoantibody testing is the first step to finding out who qualifies.

Cell therapy is even more ambitious. In Vertex’s early trial of lab-grown islet cells (zimislecel), 10 of 12 participants who received a full dose no longer needed supplemental insulin a year later. The limits are real, the therapy still requires immunosuppressive drugs. No regulator has approved it yet, so the early results are a promising signal rather than proof. Several groups are working on “hypoimmune” cells that could avoid that drawback.

For type 2 diabetes, the incretin revolution is spreading. On 1 April 2026 the FDA approved Lilly’s orforglipron (Foundayo), a once-daily, non-peptide oral GLP-1 pill, for chronic weight management. It can be taken any time, with or without food or water. In phase 3 diabetes trials it lowered blood sugar more than oral semaglutide, and Lilly was preparing a type 2 diabetes submission. On the insulin side, once-weekly basal insulin, such as icodec, is now approved in Europe and the US, cutting injections from 365 a year to 52 with comparable glycaemic control. In type 1 diabetes, trials have reported more hypoglycaemia with weekly insulins, so the benefit is clearest in type 2.

Glucose monitoring has moved well beyond finger-pricks. The ADA’s 2026 Standards of Care now recommend automated insulin delivery for some people with type 2 diabetes on basal insulin who aren’t meeting their targets. Dexcom received FDA clearance for a CGM-integrated basal dosing tool for adults with type 2 diabetes on glargine. Senseonics has launched the first one-year continuous glucose monitor. Abbott earned a CE mark for Europe’s first glucose-ketone sensor. The ketone sensor is significant because ketones are the warning sign of the dangerous complication diabetic ketoacidosis.

For people living with diabetes, the horizon is brighter, but the gap between discovery and access is wide. Teplizumab’s wholesale cost was around $14,400 per vial in early 2026, or roughly $200,000 for a full course.

The next milestone will be ensuring that these advances reach the people who need them.