The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended the use of a new drug called Teizeild to delay the progression of diabetes.
The new drug developed by Sanofi has recently undergone positive trial tests.
The antibody which it contains - teplizumab - is designed to slow down the destruction of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
Type 1 diabetes often begins in childhood but can develop at any age and is estimated to affect about 2.2 million people in the EU.
No treatment has previously been approved in the EU to delay or cure the development of the disease.
Positive test trial
In the trial tests, patients treated with teplizumab progressed to stage 3 after a median time of 50 months, compared to 25 months for those given a placebo.
During a 51-month median follow-up period, 45% of people receiving teplizumab developed stage 3 diabetes, compared with 72% in the placebo group.
The medicine is administered through daily intravenous infusions over two weeks.
If the medicine is given the approval by the European Commission, a final decision will be made on how it will be marketed throughout the EU.
