Rationale: Once diabetes develops, β-cell function progressively deteriorates and therapeutic
approaches that prevent of delay loss of β-cell function are needed in the treatment of type
2 diabetes mellitus. Recent findings suggest that interleukin-1 (IL-1) may be involved in the
progressive β-cell dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Objective: to determine whether blocking IL-1β by recombinant human IL-1ra (anakinra)
improves beta-cell function in subjects with β-cell dysfunction.