A new type of drug that stimulates the body's muscles to absorb excess blood sugar could revolutionize the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

The experimental drug, codenamed ATR-258, is the first drug to work by moving sugar directly from the bloodstream to muscle.

Developed in Sweden, it has been successful in animal studies and is now being tested on patients.

There are around four million people in the UK diagnosed with diabetes - most have type 2. This is either because the body does not produce enough of the hormone insulin (which helps muscles clear excess sugar from the blood) or because muscle cells do not respond. very good insulin.

As a result, sugar (glucose) builds up in the blood - this can damage cells and nerves, potentially leading to eye problems, heart disease and stroke.

In type 1 diabetes, commonly diagnosed in childhood, the body does not produce insulin because the immune system attacks and destroys the pancreatic cells that produce it.

People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day.

Nine in ten people with diabetes have type 2, however, they are usually diagnosed later in life.

Risk factors include overweight, lack of physical activity, family history and high blood pressure.

With type 2, the body does not produce enough insulin or makes good use of insulin - treatments range from lifestyle changes to medications that help the body cope with higher blood sugar levels.

Most drugs work by boosting the insulin system.

But the ATR-258, developed by Atrogi, a company founded by Tore Bengtsson, a professor of physiology at Stockholm University, is a new class of medication that bypasses the insulin system.

It acts on muscle receptors, stimulating muscles to draw glucose from the blood - to use it for energy - and further lowering blood sugar levels, regardless of the pancreas and insulin.

Studies in rats have shown that ATR-258 lowers blood glucose to healthy levels and increases insulin sensitivity - reducing the amount required.

Nearly 80 people are attending the trial at CRS Clinical Research Services, Mannheim, Germany.

"Current treatments for type 2 diabetes aim to over-stimulate the already dysfunctional insulin system and rarely work well," says Professor Bengtsson.

"Over time, this means poor effectiveness and risk of serious illness.

"Our treatment means that these problems can be avoided."

Commenting on the research, Dr.

"It's exciting to see drugs that are insulin-independent," said Ali Aldibbiat, a consultant on diabetes and endocrinology in Kuwait and a researcher at the University of Newcastle.

This ensures that patients with type 2 diabetes can be treated for longer, as internal insulin production tends to decline over time, which makes other treatments less effective.