In just under fifteen years, the number of pre-diabetics has increased by a factor of four in the United States alone. There are today 900 million pre-diabetics worldwide and it is estimated that 70% to 90% of them will become Type 2 diabetic, i.e. a projected 700 million people in 2045, with diabetes now being the world’s leading healthcare cost (US$760 billion).
Theradev has developed an active ingredient, HUDEV-PRE, to tackle this global health problem. Established in June 2021, Theradev is a spin-off from Biodevas Laboratoires, a specialist in natural solutions aimed at reducing reliance on antibiotics for livestock. They share an eco-extraction platform for obtaining natural active ingredients from plants. “At Theradev, we focus on pre-diabetes in order to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes, drawing on our expertise in liver issues,” said François Blua, CEO and co-founder of Theradev.
This desire led to the creation of HUDEV-PRE. “Our vision is to avoid the onset of Type 2 diabetes by treating pre-diabetes at an early stage, and via an appropriate diet and healthy lifestyle,” Mr. Blua added.
“Our objective is to continue to develop our product by carrying out human clinical studies designed to create a complete scientific record that will allow us to obtain a health claim from the international authorities. The fact that we have been selected to present the results of our preclinical trials at the American Diabetes Association Congress is recognition of the quality of our work, and thus offers us the opportunity to benefit from an unprecedented degree of visibility and to find marketing partners in the agri-food, pharmaceutical and dietary supplement sectors,” François Blua, CEO and co-founder of Theradev.
In 2021 and 2022, two tests were carried out on mice models with Nantes University Hospital. These tests compare the effects of HUDEV-PRE in mice with metformin, the current reference molecule in diabetes treatment. The CEO is pleased that they have “observed effects that are highly similar to this molecule”. These studies on predictive mice models demonstrate a significant effect of the active ingredient developed by Theradev on glucose homeostasis, glucose tolerance and insulin resistance.