French drugs maker Sanofi SA(SNY) said trial data showed its
experimental once-a-day drug for Type 2 diabetes, lixisenatide,
worked as well as Byetta, a similar drug sold by Amylin
Pharmaceuticals Inc. (AMLN) and Eli Lilly and Co (LLY) that is
injected twice daily.
The trial lasted 24 weeks and involved 634 people whose diabetes
was not controlled by orally-taken medicines or by using basal
insulin. In it, lixisenatide, whose brand name is Lyxumia, met the
main goal of showing non-inferiority compared with Byetta, also
known as exenatide, in terms of controlling blood sugar, with less
risk of low blood sugar, Sanofi said in a statement.
The French company also said that mean body weight significantly
decreased from baseline in the lixisenatide group compared with the
exenatide group, while adverse side effects were generally equal
between the two groups.
Another study comparing lixisenatide against placebo showed that
a once-daily dose of lixisenatide in combination with basal insulin
improved blood sugar control in Asian Type 2 diabetes patients.
Results of the trials were presented at the current American
Diabetes Association's 71st Scientific Sessions (ADA) in San Diego,
California.
Lixisenatide and exenatide belong to the GLP-1 class of drugs
that stimulate insulin release when glucose levels become too
high.
Sanofi licensed lixisenatide from Denmark's Zealand Pharma
(ZEAL.KO). The treatment could become a blockbuster, helping Sanofi
reach its goal of becoming the world's top diabetes treatment
company.
-By Sten Stovall, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 207 842 9292;
sten.stovall@dowjones.com