Weekly Drug Helps Type 2 Diabetics(exenatide once weekly over the course of...),Health

In the open-label study, 295 patients with type 2 diabetes received subcutaneous injections of either exenatide once weekly or Byetta twice daily for 30 weeks. Following this, 258 patients either remained on exenatide once weekly or switched from Byetta to exenatide once weekly for an additional 22 weeks.

After 52 weeks, 74 percent of all patients achieved an A1C of 7 percent or less -- the target the ADA recommends for good glucose control. Patients in both groups experienced an average loss of 9.5 pounds over the year.

Subjects using exenatide once weekly experienced minor side effects, such as mild nausea. Minor incidents of hypoglycemia occurred in patients using sulfonylurea therapy.

Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc., the maker of Byetta, is working with Eli Lilly and Co. and Alkermes Inc. to develop exenatide once weekly.

More than 21 million people in the United States and an estimated 246 million adults worldwide have diabetes, according to statistics. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death by disease in the United States.

More information

The American Diabetes Association has more about diabetes.

-- Kevin McKeever

SOURCE: Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc., Eli Lilly and Co., Alkermes Inc., news release, June 9, 2008