GSK seeks European approval of new diabetes medication

GlaxoSmithKline has filed for European approval of its new once-weekly diabetes drug albiglutide.
The British pharmaceutical giant has submitted a marketing authorisation application (MMA) for the new medication to the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Albiglutide is an investigational, injectable drug treatment for adults with type 2 diabetes. It is part of the same class of GLP-1 receptor agonists as Novo Nordisk’s Victoza and Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Byetta and Bydureon.
GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) is a peptide that is normally secreted from the gastrointestinal tract during a meal, which in turn helps release insulin to control post-meal spikes in blood sugar.
In people with type 2 diabetes, GLP-1 secretion in response to eating is reduced or absent.
Albiglutide is yet to be approved anywhere in the world In January, but that may soon change following the submission of the European MMA and GSK’s recent regulatory application for the product in the United States, which was made in January.
The diabetes drug is one of a number of new medications that GSK hopes will revive its product portfolio, as well as giving it a foothold in the GLP-1 agonist market.