Prevention of diabetes

Abstract

Insulins and insulin analogues which are substantially devoid of hypoglycaemic effect can be used for preventing or delaying the onset of type 1 diabetes or for amelioration of an early stage thereof in a mammal at risk of developing said disease.

1 . A method of preventing or delaying the onset of a disease having the characteristics of type 1 diabetes or of ameliorating an early stage thereof in a mammal at risk of developing said disease which method comprises administering to said mammal an effective amount of a hormonally inactive insulin or insulin analogue.  
     
     
         2 . The method of    claim 1    wherein the mammal is a human being.  
     
     
         3 . The method of    claim 1    wherein the in vitro activity of the insulin or insulin analogue is less than 7% of the activity of human insulin.  
     
     
         4 . The method of    claim 1    wherein the insulin analogue is selected from the group comprising: 
 desA1 human insulin;  
 des(A1-A2) human insulin;  
 des(A1-A3) human insulin;  
 desA21 human insulin;  
 des(B1-B5) human insulin;  
 des(B1-B6) human insulin;  
 des(B23-B30) human insulin;  
 des(B24-B30) human insulin;  
 des(B25-B30) human insulin;  
 Gly A2  human insulin;  
 Ala A2  human insulin;  
 Nle A2  human insulin;  
 Thr A2  human insulin;  
 Pro A2  human insulin;  
 D-allo Ile A2  human insulin;  
 Nva A3  human insulin;  
 Nle A3  human insulin;  
 Leu A3  human insulin;  
 Val A2 , Ile A3  human insulin;  
 Abu A2 , Abu A3  human insulin;  
 Gly A2 , Gly A3  human insulin;  
 D-Cys A6  human insulin;  
 D-Cys A6 , D-Cys A11  human insulin;  
 Ser A6 , Ser A11 , des(A8-A10) human insulin  
 D-Cys A7  human insulin;  
 D-Cys A11  human insulin;  
 Leu A19  human insulin;  
 Gly B6  human insulin;  
 Glu B12  human insulin;  
 Asn B12  human insulin;  
 Phe B12  human insulin;  
 D-Ala B12  human insulin; and  
 Asp B25  human insulin.  
 
     
     
         5 . The method of    claim 4   , wherein the insulin analogue is Asp B25  human insulin.  
     
     
         6 . A pharmaceutical composition for preventing or delaying the onset of a disease having the characteristics of type 1 diabetes or for ameliorating an early stage thereof in a mammal at risk of developing said disease which composition comprises an effective amount of a hormonally inactive insulin or insulin analogue according to any one of the claims  1  and  2  to  5 .  
     
     
         7 . Use of an insulin or an insulin analogue according to any one of the claims  1  and  2  to  5  for producing a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or delaying the onset of a disease having the characteristics of type 1 diabetes or for ameliorating an early stage thereof in a mammal at risk of developing said disease.