Lilly diabetes drug outperforms rival in late stage tests

A new drug being developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes has proven more effective than Sanofi’s Lantus – the world’s most widely prescribed insulin.
Announcing results from three late-stage clinical trials of its basal insulin product, peglispro, US-based pharmaceutical Lilly said the medication reduced patients’ blood sugar levels significantly more than Sanofi’s approved drug Lantus.
The trials, which were designed to show that peglispro was as effective as Lantus, tested the drug in three patient groups – those not previously taking insulin, those taking basal insulin with mealtime insulin, and those currently on a different basal insulin – and compared the results with patients given Lantus.
In addition to peglispro meeting the main objective of non-inferiority to Lantus across all three groups, the drug demonstrated “a statistically superior reduction in HbA1c”. Rates of nocturnal hypoglycaemia were also significantly lower among patients taking peglispro, compared to those on
Lantus.
Lilly Diabetes President, Enrique Conterno, commented: “These results are promising. Basal insulin peglispro is the first basal insulin to demonstrate consistently superior HbA1c reduction versus insulin glargine in Phase III clinical trials.”
He added that if approved, it “could provide an important new treatment option for patients with diabetes”.
Lilly said it plans to file for European and U.S. regulatory approval of basal insulin peglispro by the end of first quarter of 2015.