Once-a-day jab that will transform life for diabetics approved for NHS use New diabetes jab would eliminate the need for mealtime injections Lixisenatide could save the NHS £70million within five years By Hilary Freeman No more: Injecting insuline before and after mealtimes would no longer be necessary with the new jab A once-daily injection to transform the treatment of diabetes has been approved for NHS use. The lixisenatide jab means sufferers would no longer have to inject themselves before or after every meal or snack. And the new treatment is so cheap - at £1.90 per dose - experts say it could save the NHS £70 million within five years. At present many of the 3 million Britons with diabetes - whose bodies do not absorb sugar from food, leading to dangerously high levels in the blood - are tied to a strict regime of injections. But a good proportion fail to stick closely to their schedule, meaning they suffer long term health problems including sight loss, kidney disease, and infection that can lead to amputation. Professor Anthony Barnett, Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the University of Birmingham, says lixisenatide - brand name Lyxumia - makes self-management of the disease simpler. The drug also helps control weight, can be combined with other anti-diabetes treatments and is considerably cheaper than its competitors. Ten per cent of all NHS spending - £9billion a year - goes on treating diabetes, with £130 million on tablets alone. The major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, which accounts for about 90 per cent of all cases, is obesity. Being aged over 40 and having a relative with type 2 diabetes also raises the chances of developing the disease. The relatively rare type 1 is an autoimmune disease thought to be caused by a genetic fault, triggered by a common viral infection, usually before the age of 30. A third type, gestational diabetes, occurs only in women who are pregnant. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough of the hormone insulin - essential for moving sugar from digested food out of the blood and into cells where it is used to create energy. In type 2 (and gestational) diabetes, the body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin. About 80 per cent of patients are overweight at time of diagnosis. Acute symptoms are frequent urination and subsequent increased thirst, blurred vision, unexplained weight loss, and extreme tiredness. Big savings: Ten per cent of all NHS spending ¿ £9billion a year ¿ goes on treating diabetes and experts say lixisenatide could save the NHS £70 million within five years Lixisenatide is the first once-daily drug to target the amount of glucose in the blood after a meal. Professor Barnett explains: "The alternative is a total of four or more daily injections. Typical problems with this include accidentally taking too much insulin leading to dangerously low blood sugar, which can cause loss of consciousness. Most patients are already overweight or obese and the last thing they want is further weight gain, which, unfortunately, is a consequence of many of the traditional therapies. Patients don't like injecting themselves, so compliance and treatment satisfaction are much more likely with a once daily preparation. Retired medical receptionist Catherine Bailey, 64, from Ipswich in Suffolk, has benefited from the new drug. She said: "It suppressed my appetite and so I managed to lose a stone, which came off gradually. My blood sugars were more stable, I was more active, and I was able to decrease the amount of insulin I took.