Endoscopic DMR may eliminate need for insulin to control blood sugar in diabetes

Netherlands: Duodenal mucosal resurfacing (DMR) combined with liraglutide and lifestyle counseling may effectively do away with the need for insulin therapy in type 2 diabetes (T2D) for adequate blood sugar control, a recent study in the ADA journal Diabetes has found. The results of the study were also presented at the American Diabetes Association' (ADA) Virtual 80th Scientific Sessions.

Despite a wide choice of pharmacological medications, many patients do not achieve adequate control of high blood sugar . Furthermore, most of the available pharmaceutical approaches do not adequately address the underlying pathophysiological defects, particularly insulin resistance.

Duodenal mucosal resurfacing (DMR) is a novel endoscopic procedure that has been shown to improve blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) irrespective of body mass index (BMI) changes.

DMR is an endoscopic intervention that involves the ablation of duodenal mucosa by hydrothermal energy. It is known to improve blood sugar control in T2D through alteration of metabolic signaling from duodenum causing insulin sensitization. Paul Smeele from Amsterdam, Netherlands, and colleagues studies the feasibility of insulin therapy elimination in TD by combining DMR with lifestyle counseling and GLP-1r agonism (liraglutide).