Teplizumab is a drug that can treat people found to be in the early stages of type 1 diabetes, to slow down its development before symptoms begin. It has been licensed for use in the UK in people aged 8 and over with early-stage type 1 diabetes, and has been approved for use in NHS England and Wales.
On this page:
- What is teplizumab?
- Who is teplizumab available for in the UK?
- How can I find out if I'm eligible for teplizumab?
- How do I access teplizumab on the NHS?
- How is teplizumab given?
- Side effects of teplizumab
- Will I still need insulin in the future?
- Will teplizumab be available for younger children?
- I already have type 1 diabetes. Could I benefit from teplizumab?
- Can type 1 diabetes be prevented?
- More information and support
What is teplizumab?
Teplizumab, also known by the brand name Tzield, was licensed in the UK in 2025 and approved for use in NHS England and Wales by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in 2026. It's the world’s first-ever immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes.
Teplizumab helps slow the attack on insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas by calming down the immune system.
This can delay the start of symptoms and the need for insulin in people who are in the symptomless, early stages of type 1 diabetes.
This means teplizumab can help people spend extra years with blood sugar levels in a safe range and free from insulin therapy, carb counting, and low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycemia or hypos.
In a landmark clinical trial, teplizumab delayed the start of the insulin-treated stage of type 1 diabetes by an average of three years.
This won’t be exactly the same for everyone. Some people may get more time, others less. Researchers are continuing to study how long the effects could last, and why some people benefit more than others.
Dr Faye Riley, Research Communications Lead at Diabetes UK, explains more about what teplizumab is and how it works:
Who is teplizumab available for in the UK?
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) licensed teplizumab as safe and effective for peopled aged 8 and over in the early stages of type 1 diabetes, before symptoms begin.
In 2026, NICE approved it for use in NHS England and Wales for this group.
How can I find out if I’m eligible for teplizumab?
Tests can look for signals in the blood, called type 1 diabetes autoantibodies, that tell us the immune system has started to attack the pancreas. This gives us a way to find people who are in the early stages of type 1 diabetes.
You can find out if you, or your child has autoantibodies by taking part in screening studies. The ELSA study screens children aged 3-13 years across the UK, and the T1DRA study screens adults between 18-70 years.
Taking part involves a simple finger-prick blood test, which can be done at home.
Anyone with a positive autoantibody test is encouraged to join the UK Islet Autoantibody Registry, so they can get free follow-up testing, ongoing support from specialist nurses, and hear about new research and treatment opportunities.
How do I access teplizumab on the NHS?
If you took part in screening studies, like ELSA and T1DRA, and were positive for autoantibodies you should speak to the research team to discuss whether you may be eligible and next steps.
If you had a positive autoantibody test through your GP or in a hospital, you should speak to your healthcare team.
Because it’s a brand new and first of its kind treatment for type 1 diabetes, new services will need to be set up before eligible people can receive teplizumab.
When the final NICE guidance is published, NHS England will have 90 days and NHS Wales will have 60 days to set up these services.
Specialist infusion services will be developed in centres across the country. These will have the right expertise to deliver treatment and support people before, during and after it.
This is a new and evolving area of care. The NHS is working with clinical experts, researchers and organisations like Diabetes UK to make sure services are set up in the best way possible, and that people can access them equitably as they become available.
If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, access will be decided separately.
In Northern Ireland, there is a process for reviewing and adopting NICE guidance, and we’re working with local systems to understand what happens next.
In Scotland, decisions about new treatments are made by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC). Teplizumab is not currently being assessed by the SMC, but we’re working to find out more about when this might happen.
How is teplizumab given and how often?
Teplizumab is taken as a fluid infusion into a vein through an intravenous (IV) drip in a hospital. Over 14 days, you visit hospital daily for treatment.
Each infusion takes around 30 minutes. Afterwards, you’ll usually stay in hospital for a few hours so the healthcare team can monitor you and make sure you’re feeling well before you go home.
Side effects of teplizumab
The MHRA have assessed teplizumab as safe and effective based on evidence from clinical trials.
The most common side effects include a rash, low white blood cell count – which can increase your risk of infections – and headache.
Teplizumab is given in a hospital and so side effects can be carefully monitored and managed.
Will I still need insulin in the future?
Yes. Teplizumab doesn’t cure type 1 diabetes.
It slows the condition down, but people will eventually need insulin. Everyone responds slightly differently. Some people may still need insulin could quite soon, while others may have a longer delay.
The key difference is that insulin treatment can start later, and the transition may be more gradual and less overwhelming.
Will teplizumab be available for younger children?
A more recent clinical trial with children under 8 years showed teplizumab was safe for younger children. In the US, teplizumab has now been approved for children with early-stage type 1 diabetes aged 1 year and over.
For the eligible age range to change in the UK, the MHRA would need to review the evidence in younger children and decide if the treatment is safe and effective for them. NICE would then decide if it should be made available on the NHS.
We don’t yet know when this might happen.
In the meantime, younger children with autoantibodies can join the Diabetes-UK funded UK Islet Autoantibody Registry, where they can be monitored, supported, and connected to trials and future treatment opportunities.
Your child may be able to take part in trials of other immunotherapies. For example, the BARRICADE-delay study is recruiting children and adults aged 1-36 years with early-stage type 1 diabetes to trial a treatment aiming to delay symptomatic type 1 diabetes.
I already have type 1 diabetes. Could I benefit from teplizumab?
Teplizumab has only been licensed for use in the UK in people who have early-stage type 1 diabetes, before they’ve developed symptoms.
But clinical trials have shown it could also help people newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. At this stage, around 20% of their beta cells remain alive.
Teplizumab has been found to protect these surviving beta cells so that people can continue to produce some of their own insulin for longer. This could make managing blood sugar levels easier and reduce the long-term risk of diabetes complications.
In the US, teplizumab has also been approved for use in people recently diagnosed in the insulin-treated stage of type 1 diabetes.
For this to happen in the UK, the MHRA would first need to review the evidence and decide whether the treatment is safe and effective at this stage. After that, NICE would need to decide if it should be made available on the NHS.
We don’t yet know if or when either of these decisions might happen in the UK. We’ll keep pushing for progress and share updates as soon as we have them.
In the future, immunotherapies like teplizumab might also form part of a cure for type 1 diabetes in people who have lived with the condition for a long time.
Through our research and the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge, we’re supporting scientists to develop treatments to replace or regenerate the beta cells that have already been destroyed in people with type 1. Once we can do this, immunotherapies could potentially be used alongside these cell therapies to protect new cells from further immune attack.
Can type 1 diabetes be prevented?
At the moment, type 1 diabetes can’t be prevented.
But immunotherapies like teplizumab in combination with type 1 diabetes screening offers a way to slow how quickly it develops and delay the need for insulin.
Further in the future, researchers hope we could extend this delay, maybe for life, so that type 1 diabetes never develops.
More information and support
- Learn more about early detection and treatment research
- Take part in a screening study, like ELSA or T1DRA, to find out if you have type 1 diabetes autoantibodies.
- Join the UK Islet Autoantibody Registry if you’ve already had a positive type 1 diabetes autoantibody test.
- Take part in immunotherapy trials, to trial treatments aiming to protect beta cells.
Still have more questions? Or is there anything you're not sure about after reading this page? Contact our helpline on 0345 123 2399.
