Diabetes coverage on Peptide News Digest is split between type-2 diabetes — where GLP-1 and dual-agonist drugs dominate — and type-1 diabetes, where the picture is more mixed.
Type-2 thread: SURPASS data on tirzepatide, the ACHIEVE program on orforglipron, recent oral GLP-1 launches (Foundayo, oral Wegovy), and real-world evidence comparing the available drugs. JAMA published a 2026 head-to-head review of GLP-1 cardiometabolic effects in over 90,000 HFpEF patients with concomitant diabetes that has shifted prescribing.
Type-1 thread: Sanofi's Tzield (teplizumab) for delaying T1D onset, the PIONEER-Teens pediatric program, and emerging GLP-1 work in T1D where heart and kidney benefits may exist independent of insulin function. See #type-2-diabetes and #type-1-diabetes for narrower scopes.
A team at Kumamoto University led by Associate Professor Shingo Ito developed a cyclic peptide (D-DNP-V) that ferries insulin across the small intestine. Combined with zinc-stabilized insulin hexamers and given orally to diabetes models, the platform rapidly normalized blood sugar with once-daily dosing for three consecutive days. A click-chemistry-conjugated DNP-insulin molecule performed equivalently, substantially reducing the high doses that have historically plagued oral insulin.
Patients switching from dulaglutide to tirzepatide reported greater improvement in weight-related self-perception at week 40, highlighting benefits beyond glycemic control.
Kumamoto University's DNP cyclic peptide system achieved roughly one-third to nearly half the effectiveness of injected insulin in animal studies — a major advance for oral insulin delivery.
Kumamoto University researchers developed cyclic peptide D-DNP-V that escorts insulin through the gut, achieving one-third to nearly half the effectiveness of injected insulin in mice.
Kumamoto University researchers developed a cyclic peptide (DNP peptide) that enables oral insulin delivery through the intestinal wall — a dramatic improvement that could end the century-long dependence on injections.