Eli Lilly presents one-year exenatide study results

Eli Lilly has announced the results of a one-year study comparing the use of exenatide injection with insulin glargine in patients with type two diabetes, with beta-cell function weight and glycemic control being assessed.

Together with Amylin Pharmaceuticals, the company presented these results at the annual meeting for the European Associaiton for the Study of Diabetes in Amsterdam.

In the study, patients treated with exenatide showed improved beta-cell function, together with glycemic improvement compared to those receiving insulin glargine, while the former patient group also experienced weight loss and the latter saw weight gain.

Michaela Diamant, associate professor of endocrinology at the Department of Endocrinology of the VU University Medical Centre, said: “This study lends further support to past findings and showed that adding exenatide significantly improved beta-cell function as measured by both glucose and arginine induced insulin secretion.”

She noted that earlier studies had shown the compound – marketed by Lilly as Byetta – to show comparable glycmeic improvements to insulin glargine, together with improved beta-cell function only associated with the drug.

In July 2007, Eli Lilly welcomed the decision by the Scottish Medicines Consortium to accept the use of Byetta prior to the onset of insulin therapy in patients with type two diabetes.