Welchol(TM) Lowered A1C by a Mean 1 Percent or Greater When Added to Metformin-, Insulin-, or Sulfonylurea-Based Therapy in 47 Percent of Patients...( Post-hoc analysis of pivotal stud...),Health

Post-hoc analysis of pivotal studies presented at the National Lipid

Association's Annual Scientific Sessions

PARSIPPANY, N.J., May 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., announced today that data from post-hoc analyses of three pivotal studies demonstrated that the addition of Welchol(TM), (colesevelam HCl) to common diabetes treatment regimens can lower A1C in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus by 1% or greater. The analyses included all patients receiving Welchol in these studies (n=512). Almost half (47%) of the patients in the analyses had a mean reduction in A1C of 1.04% and nearly a quarter (24%) had a mean reduction as great as 1.40%. Type 2 diabetes can put people at risk for serious health complications such as blindness, amputation and kidney failure.(1)

A second post-hoc analysis demonstrated that Welchol lowered A1C and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels consistently across type 2 diabetes patients, regardless of age, gender or race. These findings were included among five poster presentations by Daiichi Sankyo at the National Lipid Association (NLA) Annual Scientific Sessions.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends that people with type 2 diabetes control both blood glucose and cholesterol levels to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.(2) The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) recommends that patients with type 2 diabetes keep their cholesterol levels in check and target an LDL-C goal of <100 mg/dL.(3) Despite this recommendation, nearly 40 percent of patients with type 2 diabetes have LDL-cholesterol levels greater than 130 mg/dL.(4) Welchol is the first and only therapy approved to treat both type 2 diabetes and high LDL-cholesterol.

"These findings are significant given the critical importance of achieving and maintaining A1C control," said Vivian A. Fonseca, Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology and Chief, Section of Endocrinology, Tulane University He
'/>"/>