The Insulin Independence Trial (IIT) Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Oral Cyclosporine and Oral Lansoprazole for Insulin Independence Among Recent Onset Type 1 Diabetes Patients

The purpose of this study is to determine if oral cyclosporine and oral lansoprazole are effective in rendering recent onset type 1 diabetes patients, insulin independent. This two-arm study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy for insulin independence by utilizing the FDA-approved oral immune tolerance agent, Cyclosporine A, and the FDA-approved proton-pump inhibitor, Lansoprazole. Lansoprazole and other proton-pump inhibitors increase gastrin levels. Gastrin was initially shown to have the potential to increase new beta cell formation in 1955 (Zollinger RM and Ellison EH. Ann Surg. 1955;142(4):709-23).

Studies with the immune tolerance agent, Cyclosporine A, previously demonstrated that among recently diagnosed type 1 diabetes patients, insulin independence was achieved in as many as 67.5% of patients within 7 weeks of therapy (Bougneres PF et al. N Engl J Med. 1988:17;318(11):663-70). Cyclosporine A protected the remaining beta cells from further autoimmune attack, but over time, there was limited beta cell regeneration, and insulin was ultimately required by all patients. Therefore, this study proposes the usage of Cyclosporine A with a beta regeneration agent.

Follow-up studies for up to 13 years among 285 type 1 patients utilizing Cyclosporine A for 20 months, did not demonstrate renal or other side effects (Assan R. et al. Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2002;18(6):464-72). Human clinical trials with gastrin and epidermal growth factor demonstrated reductions in daily insulin requirements by much as 75% within 3 months following four weeks of therapy among existing type 1 diabetes patients (Transition Therapeutics, March 5, 2007 http://www.transitiontherapeutics.com/media/archive.php Accessed January 1, 2013). Lack of the ability to sustain these results was likely due to the ongoing autoimmune attack on the new beta cells generated by therapy. Gastrin alone has been shown to induce beta cell neogenesis from human pancreatic ductal tissue without epidermal growth factor in in-vitro studies (Suarez-Pinzon WL et al. JCEM. 2005;90(6):3401-3409).

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. Despite evidence that many different immune tolerance agents have successfully reversed diabetes in rodent type 1 models, none have been successful in sustaining insulin independence in man (Ablamunits V et al. Ann NY Acad Sci. 2007;1103:19-32). The distinctions and complexities of islets in man are far different than that of rodents (Levetan CS and Pierce SM. Endocr Pract. 2012 Nov 27:1-36 Epub ahead of print). We hypothesize that in man, both an immune tolerance agent and a beta regeneration agent are required to sustain insulin independence.

Based upon proton-pump inhibitors having been shown to increase plasma gastrin levels up to 10-fold, this clinical trial utilizes the oral proton-pump inhibitor, Lansoprazole. This study will determine the safety and efficacy of Cyclosporine A used with and without Lansoprazole to determine the impact on insulin independence among recently diagnosed patients with type 1 diabetes.

Cyclosporine A is utilized to protect the new beta cells formed by Lansoprazole. The combination of the two therapies may render reductions in insulin requirements and have a greater impact on sustained insulin independence than previously reported with Cyclosporine A or gastrin alone among type 1 patients.

This 52-week study with evaluation at 26 weeks for insulin independence, consists of two treatment arms:

• Oral Lansoprazole/Oral Cyclosporine
• Oral Placebo/Oral Placebo

It is hypothesized that the combination of oral Cyclosporine A and oral Lansoprazole will safely render significantly more patients with existing type 1 diabetes, insulin independent and may serve as a novel and innovative treatment approach for recently diagnosed patients with type 1 diabetes utilizing two FDA-approved therapies.