History of Diabetes

Sharpey-Schafer discovers insulin

1910

English physiologist Sir Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer's study of the pancreas leads him to the discovery of insulin.

"Starvation Diet"

1915

Frederick Allen and Elliott Joslin (American physicians) promote the "Starvation Diet", which consists of fasting and prolonged undernutrition. Because insulin therapy wasn't introduced yet, it was viewed as the best and only treatment at the time.

1st Person Treated w/ Insulin

1922

Doctors Banting and Best use insulin for the first time to treat a person. The 1st person to be treated was Leonard Thompson, a Canadian diabetic, who was diagnosed with diabetes for 2 years and had to endure the "starvation diet". The insulin saved Thompson.

Commercial Production of Insulin

1923

Insulin is commercially produced by companies such as Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium and Eli Lilly & Co. In the following decades, insulin manufacturers designed insulin with faster or slower-acting activity, which provided more options for diabetics.

Tablets for Testing Urine Glucose/Test Strips Become Available to the Public

1940

Urine glucose test tablets become widely available to the public in the 1940's, while test strips become available in the 50's.

Standardized Insulin Syringe Approved

1949

Becton Dickinson and Co. begin production of a standardized insulin syringe (approved by the ADA). This syringe reduced any dosing errors and episodes of hyper/hypoglycemia.

1st Oral Medication for Diabetes Released

1955

Sulfonylureas,an oral medication that stimulates the pancreas in order to release more insulin, becomes available. Later on, more medication became available.

Distinct Types of Diabetes Are Identified

1959

Solomon Berson, MD, and Rosalyn Yalow, PhD develop a way to measure insulin in blood. They discover that some diabetics still produce insulin in their bodies. They also identified “insulin-dependent” (type 1) and “non-insulin-dependent” (type 2) diabetes.

Glucagon Introduction

1961

Glucagon, a pancreas hormones that raises glucose levels, was introduced to the public by Eli Lilly and Company. Glucagon was intended to treat those with severe hypoglycemia.

Blood Glucose Test Strips Introduced

1964

The Ames Company introduced the first strips for testing blood glucose by color code. The strips were at first used only in hospitals and clinics, and were not used in home care until the 1970s.

U100 Insulin introduced

1972

U100 insulin was introduced. With the introduction of this insulin, the frequency of dosing errors was reduced tremendously (@Trump)

Wearable Infusion Pumps Developed

1976

The first medical infusion pumps were invented, capable of delivering biological materials such as chemotherapy drugs or insulin.

Laser Therapy for Retinopathy Introduced

1976

Scatter laser treatment burns abnormal blood vessels, causing them to shrink. Laser surgery and follow-up care can reduce the risk of blindness by 90 percent, but it usually cannot restore vision that has already been lost.

A1C Test Developed

1977

Researchers in Boston developed a test to measure glycosylated hemoglobin (or A1C). Since then, the A1C test has become the gold standard for measuring long term diabetes control.

Synthetic Insulin Produced

1978

Researchers at the City of Hope National Medical Center induced E. coli bacteria to produce insulin identical to human insulin.

Portable Insulin Pumps Introduced

1978

Portable insulin pumps were introduced and researchers achieved normal blood glucose levels in patients using them. But, due to their large size, they were impractical at this time. The first commercially successful insulin pump, the Minimed 502, was introduced in 1983.

Intensive Insulin Therapy Used

1980

Introduction of the basal-bolus concept enabled "intensive insulin therapy" to be used in the clinic to effectively treat people with type 1 diabetes.

Human Insulin Produced by Bacteria Approved

1982

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved human insulin produced by genetically altered bacteria. Until the development of genetically engineered human insulin, all insulin had been derived from the pancreases of cows and pigs, and despite improved purification techniques, allergic reactions were common.

2nd Generation Sulfonylureas Available

1983

Second-generation sulfonylureas enter the market, allowing patients to take smaller doses with reduced side effects.

Diabetes Risk Test Introduced

1988

The American Diabetes Association introduced the first Diabetes Risk Test to help people recognize the risk factors for diabetes and whether they should be screened for diabetes.

Metformin Approved in the U.S.

1994

The drug metformin was approved in the U.S., becoming only the second type of oral medication approved to treat diabetes.

Fast-Acting Insulin Introduced

1996

Lispro was released in 1996 by the Eli Lilly & Co. and was advertised as the world's fastest-acting insulin at the moment.

Long-Acting Insulin Introduced

2000

Lantus was introduced as the first analog basal insulin.