AstraZeneca's Bydureon fails to reduce CV risk but meets safety objective

Bydureon (exenatide extended-release), a drug from Anglo-Swedish pharma major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN), has failed to reach statistical significance in the efficacy objective of a trial treating type 2 diabetes patients at a wide range of cardiovascular (CV) risk.

Fewer CV events were observed in the Bydureon arm but there was no significant reduction in the risk, leaving AstraZeneca to focus on the fact that the EXSCEL trial did at least meet its primary safety objective of non-inferiority based on a composite measure of major adverse CV events (MACE).

Bydureon is marketed as a non-insulin treatment option for adults with type 2 diabetes though it is not recommended as the first medication to treat the condition. The product puts AstraZeneca in competition with Danish pharma major Novo Nordisk (NOV: N), whose semaglutide and Victoza (liraglutide) have  shown the ability to cut the risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death.