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Researchers found medication that controls blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes can also help patients with certain auto-immune diseases such as Lupus and arthritis
Drug used by millions for common condition could end pain for arthritis sufferers - Mirror OnlineArthritis sufferers have been given fresh hope of a life free of pain after studies on a drug developed for use by diabetics.
Researchers found medication that controls blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes can also help patients with certain autoimmune diseases. The drug, Canagliflozin, also targets T-cells – a type of white blood cell that usually helps us fight infections. These cells are known to mistakenly attack healthy tissues in patients with autoimmune diseases, so using Canagliflozin to inhibit them could aid the more than 400,000 people in the UK with rheumatoid arthritis and the 50,000 living with lupus.
Lupus causes joint pain, skin rashes and tiredness, and celebrity sufferers include actress Sally Hawkins and Made in Chelsea’s Louise Thompson. Dr Nick Jones, who led the Swansea University study, said: “Our findings are significant as they provide the foundation for the clinical development of Canagliflozin for treatment of certain autoimmune diseases.