The search for medications and treatments for individuals with diabetes continues aggressively and is making strides. There is some good news that just came out regarding the medication Byetta that many individuals with diabetes are using to help control their diabetes, is doing even better than thought.
The experimental long-acting version of Byetta, being developed by Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc (AMLN.O) and Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.N), demonstrated superior blood sugar control and weight loss when compared to two other widely used diabetes medicines in a head-to-head study.
The drug only needs to be taken once a week and in this time when the economy is so difficult, the results of the research about Byetta sent Amylin shares up as much as 19 percent on Tuesday, while shares of Lilly, the much larger drugmaker, were 2 percent higher.
Amylin expects to file for regulatory approval of once weekly Byetta by the end of June. The version of Byetta currently on the market is typically injected twice a day. This would eliminate a lot of injections and control diabetes in most individuals much better than the options they have now.
The 26-week study compared Byetta LAR, also known as exenatide once weekly, with maximum doses of Merck & Co Inc’s (MRK.N) Januvia, known chemically as sitagliptin, and pioglitazone, sold under the brand name Actos by Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd (4502.T).
Type 2 diabetes patients taking Byetta LAR experienced a reduction in A1C — a measure of average blood sugar over three months — which wa more than the other medications and these results are significant because they can change the way diabtes is treated and controlled in the near future. In addition, there has been excellent weight loss during the study and researchers feel that the weight loss wil increase over the next trial.
Some quotes and statistics from Reuters.
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