A once-weekly insulin injection, efsitora, has showed blood sugar reduction consistent with commonly used daily insulins across two studies in patients with type 2 diabetes, while the weekly insulin injection, icodec, has been recommended for approval in Europe and is under regulatory review in the US.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisers are meeting next week to discuss the application from Novo, reports Reuters.
Both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, market leaders for obesity drugs (GLP-1 agonists,) are developing weekly injections for long-acting insulins that could reduce the treatment burden for diabetics.
In one of the two studies, Lilly evaluated efsitora in patients using and not using GLP-1 therapies, and said efsitora was non-inferior to insulin degludec, sold as Tresiba by Novo, in reducing blood sugar levels in both sets of patients.
At the end of 52 weeks, patients on efsitora saw a reduction of 1.34% in their A1C levels – a marker of blood glucose levels over three months – compared with a 1.26% reduction for insulin degludec. The trial included patients who were using insulin for the first time.
Lilly plans to present detailed data from this study at a medical conference later this year.
In the second study, conducted for 26 weeks, both efsitora and insulin glargine reduced A1C levels in patients by 1.07%. Insulin glargine is sold as Basaglar by Lilly and as Lantus by French drugmaker Sanofi.
Combined, Eli Lilly, Sanofi and Novo Nordisk comprise 90% of the US market for insulin and have faced political pressure to make these life-sustaining treatments more affordable.
Reuters article – Lilly’s weekly insulin as effective as daily doses in studies (Open access)
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