Eli Lilly reports year-on exenatide study results at ADA

Eli Lilly has reported the results of a year-long study of exenatide in type 2 diabetes patients at the annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in San Francisco.

The company, together with Amilyn Pharmaceuticals and Alkermes, reports that the compound taken once-weekly provides sustained improvements in weight and glycemic control.

In the Duration-1 study, patients taking the compound once-weekly over the course of a year sustained similar improvements in glucose control to those taking the treatment for 30 weeks.

Furthermore, patients switching from Byettea (exenatide) injection to exenatide once-weekly after 30 weeks saw addition improvements in fasting plasma and A1C glucose.

John B Buse, professor of medicine, director of the Diabetes Care Centre and chief of endocrinology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, said: “Diabetes is a lifelong condition that requires constant management of blood glucose or blood sugar as well as weight.

“In Duration-1 trial, patients significantly reduced their blood glucose levels and, on average, lost a total of over nine pounds. These improvements were sustained for a year.”

He added that the study also showed that steady-state levels of exenatide in the body could result in improvements in a range of glucose parameters.

Also at the ADA meeting, Eli Lilly announced positive results for a 30-week study comparing the efficacy of once-weekly exenatide with Byetta.