AMLN Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (MM)

-- When compared to insulin glargine, exenatide offered added benefits of weight loss and improved beta-cell function when used with metformin -- AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMLN) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) today announced study results comparing treatment of exenatide injection with insulin glargine on beta-cell function, glycemic control and weight in people with type 2 diabetes. Study findings showed one year of exenatide therapy, as compared to insulin glargine, markedly improved different indices of beta-cell function, along with similar glycemic improvement. In addition, patients treated with exenatide lost weight, whereas patients treated with glargine gained weight. These findings were presented at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands(1). In this randomized study, 69 people with type 2 diabetes who were treated with exenatide (5 mcg BID for 4 weeks and 10 mcg BID to 20 mcg TID (20 mcg TID is a currently unapproved dosage of the marketed formulation of exenatide, BYETTA(R) (exenatide) injection) for the remainder of the year) or insulin glargine (both with metformin) were compared on measures of beta-cell function, blood sugar control and weight change after one year (52-weeks) of treatment. In this study, people with type 2 diabetes who used exenatide for one year, compared to those treated with insulin glargine, showed significant improvements in beta-cell function as measured by arginine and glucose induced C-peptide (a peptide associated with insulin production) secretion during a glucose clamp procedure (a technique used to assess insulin secretion)(2,3). Specifically, C-peptide secretion in response to arginine administration (which produces maximal beta-cell stimulation) was 146 percent greater after one year of treatment with exenatide when compared to insulin glargine (mean ratio relative to baseline for exenatide and insulin glargine + or -SEM: 3.19 + or - 0.24 vs. 1.31 + or - 0.07, respectively, p