Roche drug ‘may offer new diabetes treatment option’

Roche has announced the results of five phase III clinical trials into its type 2 diabetes treatment taspoglutide.

During the studies, taspoglutide met the primary endpoints of reduction in blood glucose (blood sugar), indicating that the first weekly human GLP-1 analogue may improve treatment options for patients with type 2 diabetes.

Furthermore, the drug was well-tolerated in all five trials, with the most common adverse events among patients being nausea and vomiting.

Hal Barron, global head of product development at Roche, commented: “These Phase III studies have shown that treatment with once weekly taspoglutide leads to significantly improved blood glucose control, consistent weight loss, a minimal risk of hypoglycaemia and manageable safety profile.”

Earlier this month, Roche published its financial results for the whole of 2009, revealing record sales and double-digit growth in operating profit.

Group sales increased to 49.1 billion Swiss francs (29.16 billion pounds) – representing a rise of ten per cent.