In a nutshell
This study investigated the effectiveness and safety of a new drug, LY3298176 for patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2D). The main finding of the study is that LY3298176 improved blood sugar control and was safe to use in these patients.
Some background
Insulin is a hormone that controls blood sugar. Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have too little insulin and therefore, have high blood sugar levels. There are many different groups of drugs available for the treatment of T2D. These drugs work in different ways.
One group are called Glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptides (GIP). GIPs work by causing insulin to be released in the body. Another group of drugs is called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. These work in the same way: they cause insulin to be released, lowering blood sugar. They can also cause weight loss. However, some patients on these drugs do not reach their target sugar level or weight. LY3298176 is a drug that has been developed that is both a GIP and GLP-1 agonist. Its safety and effectiveness are still under investigation.
Methods & findings
This study included 318 patients with T2D. Patients either received subcutaneous LY3298176, a GLP-1 agonist alone (dulaglutide) or a placebo (a drug that has no effect on the body). They were treated for 26 weeks. The changes in HbA1c (a measurement of blood sugar control of the past 3 months) levels, body weight, and side effects were evaluated.
After 26 weeks, patients who received LY3298176 had greater reductions in their HbA1c (by 1.73-1.94%) compared to placebo (by 0.06%) and GLP-1 alone (by 1.21%). More patients in the LY3298176 group (33-90%) reached a HbA1c level below 7% than those treated with GLP-1 (52%) or placebo (12%).
Patients treated with LY3298176 also experienced greater weight loss (by 0.9-11.3 Kg) than those who received the other treatments (by 2.7 Kg with GLP-1 and by 0.4 Kg with placebo). However, patients treated with LY3298176 had more gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea (up to 60.4%) compared to GLP-1 (35.2%) and placebo (5.9%). There was no increase of serious side effects in the LY3298176 group.
The bottom line
The study determined that LY3298176 is an effective and safe therapy for patients with T2D.
The fine print
The study was funded by Eli Lilly, the developer of LY3298176.
This study had a rather small number of patients and a short follow-up period. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Published By :
Lancet (London, England)
Date :
Oct 03, 2018
