JDRF expedites an enhanced program for hypoglycemia awareness
At JDRF we know the saying “good things come to those who wait” can be all too true. Even under the best circumstances, it can take years from the dawning of a new idea to the delivery of a new therapy. Our researchers, advocates, fundraisers and volunteers are doing their utmost every day to accelerate this process. And sometimes we get an opportunity to make a big difference in a short time—like the HARPdoc project.
HARPdoc is a program to help reverse hypoglycemia unawareness in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Hypoglycemia unawareness, or an inability to recognize the warning signs of falling blood-sugar levels, can affect 25 to 40 percent of people with T1D. Unawareness can often be reversed using structured education, but it does not work for everyone, leaving some people at higher risk for severe hypoglycemia and its consequences. Fortunately, HARPdoc can help.
The program works with adults with T1D at highest risk to identify and change behavioral patterns that may hamper reversal of hypoglycemia unawareness. HARPdoc virtually eliminated severe hypoglycemia in a pilot study. Now, with funding from JDRF, HARPdoc is being tested in a large clinical trial. Positive results would make a strong case for coverage of the program by healthcare plans in both the United States and the United Kingdom. And because HARPdoc doesn’t involve drugs or devices, it wouldn’t need to be reviewed by regulatory authorities before launching to the public. This means it could get to work fast, preventing lows in those at highest risk.
Why It Matters
Supporting the HARPdoc program to avoid extreme lows in people with hypoglycemia unawareness is one way JDRF is working to do the greatest good for the T1D community in the shortest amount of time.
The HARPdoc trial is led by Stephanie Amiel, M.D., at King’s College London and addresses one of the therapeutic goals of JDRF’s Glucose Control research program: preventing severe hypoglycemia in T1D.