Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY): Is a Type 1 Diabetes Cure Right Around the Corner?

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Soon, we may be curing the disease
But, the truth of the matter is that these are treatments for the symptoms associated with type 1 diabetes; they aren’t cures. The research conducted at Boston Children’s Hospital offers the possibility of an actual cure if a medication can be developed that suppresses autoimmune dysfunction based on this specific pathway. Admittedly, we could be looking at half a decade or longer before there’s a big enough human trial to validate whether a cure can be derived, but this is exciting news nonetheless.

It would also make a lot of sense for a company like Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE:LLY) or Sanofi to lead the way in terms of type 1 diabetes research, as Lilly’s Humalog is set to lose patent protection next year and Sanofi SA (ADR) (NYSE:SNY)i’s patents will expire in 2014/2015. These two pharmaceutical giants would love to replace the revenue that’s almost certain to be lost because of generic competition. Building upon Boston Children Hospital’s research could be one way of accomplishing this.

While we’re still quite a ways from a cure, type 1 diabetes patients certainly have a reason to be a little more hopeful as it appears researchers are now one step closer.

The article Is a Type 1 Diabetes Cure Right Around the Corner? originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Sean Williams.

Fool contributor Sean Williams has no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen name TMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle @TMFUltraLong.The Motley Fool owns shares of Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE:MDT).

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