Daiichi Sankyo drug ‘significantly lowers blood glucose in diabetes patients’

Daiichi Sankyo has announced the publication of data from two pooled analysis showing that Welchol (colesevelam HCL) used in combination with metformin or sulfonylurea-based therapy significantly lowers blood glucose in patients with type two diabetes mellitus who had previously failed to achieve glycemic control.

The data was presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

Daiichi Sankyo reports that the efficacy of the compound was measured by A1C, with those patients on metformin-based therapy showing a reduction of 0.5 per cent placebo corrected change from baseline with the addition of Welchol.

Those on sulfonylurea-based therapy showed a 0.53 per cent reduction from baseline with the addition of Welchol.

Vivian E Fonseca, professor of medicine and pharmacology and chief of the section of endocrinology at the Tulane University Health Sciences Centre, said: “These analyses further demonstrate the potential benefit of adding Welchol to current common diabetes treatment regimens.”

He added that these analyses provide doctors with an additional option when looking for methods to help patients reduce their blood glucose levels.

In January 2007, Daiichi Sankyo said that Welchol could be of great benefit to patients as it may be the first compound available for the lowering of LDL cholesterol that can also offer improvements in glycemic control.