Positive trial results for once-weekly diabetes drug dulaglutide

Global pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co has revealed that its experimental once-weekly diabetes medication dulaglutide outperformed its older competitors in three late-stage studies.
Data from the trio of Phase III clinical trials showed that dulaglutide met its primary goal in reducing HbA1c (a long-term measure of blood sugar levels) in patients with type 2 diabetes, the firm said in a statement.
The long-acting glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) analogue worked better than twice-daily injections of Byetta (exenatide) given for six months, metformin taken for 26 weeks and the once-daily oral medication Januvia (sitagliptin) taken for one year.
“We’re very encouraged by the results to date from our Phase III dulaglutide trials and are pleased to be one step closer to offering a new GLP-1 treatment option for type 2 diabetes,” said Enrique Conterno, president of Lilly Diabetes .
The company said that overall safety findings were similar to those seen in mid-stage trials, and added that a further two studies on the injectable therapy are still ongoing and are set to conclude in the coming months.
Dulaglutide is one of four anti-diabetic medicines currently being developed by Lilly in an effort to regain the lead in the global diabetes drug market that is dominated by rivals Sanofi and Novo Nordisk.