Exeter mum helping to pioneer life-changing drug

A Devon mum has become the first adult in the UK to start a pioneering new treatment that could delay the need for insulin in people with type 1 diabetes.

Hannah Robinson, a 36-year-old dentist and mother of two, began the treatment at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, supported by the NIHR and University of Exeter. She discovered she was in the early stages of developing type 1 diabetes during pregnancy and now hopes the treatment will give her up to three more years before needing daily insulin injections.

Type 1 diabetes affects around 270,000 people in the UK. Unlike type 2, it’s an autoimmune condition where the body attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. There’s currently no cure, and most people need lifelong insulin to manage their blood sugar and avoid serious health complications.

The new drug, Teplizumab, is designed to tackle the disease at its root — by retraining the immune system to stop attacking the pancreas. But it must be given very early in the condition to be effective.

Hannah said:

“This drug offers me more freedom — and time to focus on my health before I have to start managing daily insulin. It’s not just about diet or monitoring glucose, it’s about having more control and not feeling defined by the condition. I feel very lucky to be part of something that could one day lead to a cure.”

Teplizumab has already been approved in the United States and is being offered to a small number of children and young people in the UK. Hannah is the first UK adult to receive the treatment.

Dr Nick Thomas, the consultant treating Hannah, said:

“This is a major step forward. For the first time, we’re able to treat type 1 diabetes before it fully develops — aiming to slow the immune process and delay the need for insulin.”

The trial marks a significant shift in how the NHS could manage type 1 diabetes in the future.