Scientists have discovered that a drug that is currently used to treat the skin condition, psoriasis, could benefit people with type 1 diabetes.

The news has been welcomed by the national diabetes charity, Diabetes Ireland.

A team in the US discovered that the drug, Alefacept, which targets the immune system of psoriasis sufferers, appears to keep the insulin-producing cells of people with type 1 diabetes safe and healthy.

The results follow a two-year clinical trial involving people newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

The same team of scientists had already reported positive results back in 2013, but now, 15 months after the last dose of the drug was given to participants, they are taking less insulin on a day-to-day basis.

They have also been found to have higher levels of the C-peptide protein in their blood than those given a placebo. This is a by-product of insulin protection. This suggests that those taking Alefacept are making more of their own insulin than those not taking the drug.

Meanwhile, the scientists also found that people who had taken the psoriasis drug had lower levels of cells that are known to attack the pancreas in type 1 diabetes, and higher levels of cells that regulate the immune system.

Dr Anna Clarke, research manager at the Diabetes Ireland Research Alliance, described the findings as ‘really promising', particularly because this drug is already in use, ‘so is already deemed to be safe'.

"Any development that helps us understand how people respond to a therapy that alters the immune system could create new treatment approaches and make a cure or vaccine for type 1 diabetes one step closer," she commented.

Dr Gerald Nepom, director of the Immune Tolerance Network, which carried out the clinical trial, acknowledged that 'achieving a long-term benefit following a short-course therapy is a challenging goal'. He said the next step in the research will be to carry out a detailed analysis of the immune cell types in the blood of those who responded to the psoriasis drug.

"This will help us identify the best way to improve this type of immune therapy for people with type 1 diabetes and potentially other autoimmune conditions," he said.