AstraZeneca's Bydureon controls diabetes better than insulin glargine

Anglo-Swedish pharma major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) has announced that Bydureon (exenatide once-weekly injection) can achieve better glycemic control with weight loss and less hypoglycemia, compared to treatment with insulin glargine, over three years.

Published in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, the DURATION-3 study examined exenatide long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist in the treatment of type 2 diabetes in adult patients uncontrolled on oral antidiabetic drugs. In the primary efficacy analysis at 156 weeks, treatment with exenatide once-weekly demonstrated a greater mean reduction in HbA1c from baseline compared to those treated with insulin glargine. In addition, overall rates of hypoglycemic events per patient, per year, were shown to be three times lower in patients given exenatide once-weekly compared to insulin glargine, French drug major Sanofi’s (Euronext: SAN) blockbuster Lantus brand.

Improved weight loss and hypoglycemia