Ozempic and Intestinal ReCET Therapy Eliminate Insulin Need in Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Key Insights

• A small study suggests that combining Ozempic with Endoscopic re-cellularization therapy (ReCET) may eliminate the need for insulin in type 2 diabetes patients.
• In the study, 12 out of 14 patients with type 2 diabetes no longer required supplemental insulin after six months of the combination therapy.
• All patients in the study achieved control of their blood sugar, maintaining HbA1c levels below 7.5% with minimal side effects.

A novel combination therapy involving the drug Ozempic (semaglutide) and Endoscopic re-cellularization via electroporation therapy (ReCET) has shown promising results in eliminating the need for insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a small study presented at the United European Gastroenterology annual meeting in Vienna.

The study, conducted by researchers at Amsterdam University Medical Center, tracked 14 patients with type 2 diabetes who underwent the ReCET procedure followed by weekly Ozempic injections. After six months, 12 of the 14 participants (86%) were able to discontinue insulin use while maintaining control of their blood sugar levels (HbA1c below 7.5%).

Understanding ReCET

ReCET, pioneered by researchers at the Mayo Clinic, is a one-time outpatient endoscopic procedure targeting the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine. According to Dr. Andrew Storm, director of endoscopy at the Mayo Clinic, the procedure aims to repair duodenal dysfunction in type 2 diabetes by delivering a pulsed electric field to facilitate the re-cellularization of the duodenum with regenerated metabolically active cells.

Study Details and Outcomes

The study included patients aged 28 to 75 with varying weights. Following the ReCET procedure, participants adhered to a 2-week liquid diet and received weekly Ozempic injections. The results showed that 86% of patients remained insulin-free at 6, 12, and 24-month follow-ups. Researchers noted minimal side effects, with only one patient reporting nausea.

Advantages of ReCET

Celine Busch, the lead researcher, highlighted the advantages of ReCET over traditional drug therapies. "Unlike drug therapy, which requires daily medication adherence, ReCET is compliance-free," Busch stated. "In addition, the treatment is disease-modifying: it improves the patient’s sensitivity to their own (endogenous) insulin, tackling the root cause of the disease, as opposed to currently available drug therapies, that are at best disease-controlling."

Future Directions

While the initial results are encouraging, the researchers emphasize the need for larger, randomized controlled trials to confirm these findings. A sham-controlled trial is currently underway to further evaluate the efficacy and mechanism of ReCET.