The once-weekly formulation of BYETTA (BYETTA LAR) showed better blood sugar control and weight loss when compared to "two other widely used diabetes medicines in a head-to-head study". Amylin Pharmaceuticals anticipates filing for approval of the drug "by the end of the second quarter".
The results are not unexpected. The drug was compared to JANUVIA (a medication with a similar glucose-stimulated insulin release promotion mechanism) and ACTOS (a medication that has a completely different mechanism of action).
BYETTA LAR patients showed an impressive 1.7 point reduction in HbA1c versus 1.4 points in ACTOS-treated subjects and 1.0 points in JANUVIA-treated subjects.
Better weight loss with BYETTA LAR was also confirmed, but that's not a surprise. Comparing BYETTA LAR to a drug notorious for causing weight gain (ACTOS) and a drug having no significant impact on satiety (JANUVIA) is kind of like taking a Lamborghini and aTata Nanoto the drag strip and confirming the Lamborghini gets down the quarter-mile a bit more quickly.
It's interesting to note this data is "released" a day or two before Novo-Nordisk's LIRAGLUTIDE goes before the FDA's Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee.
The full Reuters article can be seenhere.We have one question about something that has not been made clear to date .... at least to the best of our knowledge. BYETTA LAR will save 13 injections per week if compared to the original formulation. However, if we assume injection volume, and viscosity, will be significantly greater, what needle size will suffice? Are we talking "flu shot" every week?
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The results are not unexpected. The drug was compared to JANUVIA (a medication with a similar glucose-stimulated insulin release promotion mechanism) and ACTOS (a medication that has a completely different mechanism of action).
BYETTA LAR patients showed an impressive 1.7 point reduction in HbA1c versus 1.4 points in ACTOS-treated subjects and 1.0 points in JANUVIA-treated subjects.
Better weight loss with BYETTA LAR was also confirmed, but that's not a surprise. Comparing BYETTA LAR to a drug notorious for causing weight gain (ACTOS) and a drug having no significant impact on satiety (JANUVIA) is kind of like taking a Lamborghini and aTata Nanoto the drag strip and confirming the Lamborghini gets down the quarter-mile a bit more quickly.
It's interesting to note this data is "released" a day or two before Novo-Nordisk's LIRAGLUTIDE goes before the FDA's Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee.
The full Reuters article can be seenhere.
We have one question about something that has not been made clear to date .... at least to the best of our knowledge. BYETTA LAR will save 13 injections per week if compared to the original formulation. However, if we assume injection volume, and viscosity, will be significantly greater, what needle size will suffice? Are we talking "flu shot" every week?