Highlights of ADA meeting see good results for canagliflozin, Victoza, dapagliflozin, Lantus & Apidra and taspoglutide

The 70th American Diabetes Association (ADA) meeting started over the weekend in Orlando, Florida, with a swathe of promising research results for diabetes products, with weight loss a major feature, from leaders in the sector, including from J&J, Novo Nordisk, B-MS/AstraZeneca, Sanofi-Aventis and Roche/Ipsen

Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development (J&JPRD) announced that canagliflozin, an investigational, oral, selective sodium-glucose transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, improved glycemic control, and was also associated with a decrease in body weight, in a Phase IIb dose-ranging trial in patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes who were concurrently treated with metformin.

'We are encouraged by these results and by the initiation of our Phase III program, which includes a large, prospective study assessing cardiovascular outcomes," said Martin Fitchet, global therapeutic area head, cardiovascular and Metabolism, at J&JPRD, adding: "The size and scope of our canagliflozin late-stage development program also reflects our commitment to build a leading portfolio of pharmaceutical treatments for the care of people with diabetes." Recruitment for the global Phase III canagliflozin clinical program is currently underway, and is expected to enroll more than 10,000 patients with type 2 diabetes.