Weekly jab for diabetes sufferers
Добавлено: 15.09.2008, 10:50
The common twice-daily injection treatment for type 2 diabetes could be replaced by a weekly jab, a study says.
The new treatment, Exenatide once weekly, is the first in a new class of long-acting medications that mimic the action of GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide), a naturally occurring hormone that is produced in the gut after eating.
The study, published in the journal The Lancet this week, compared outcomes for patients using Exenatide once weekly against results from the conventional 14 injections a week, as in the currently available version of the drug.
In a six-month clinical trial involving 300 type 2 diabetes sufferers in Canada, patients were either given the current drug twice a day or the new treatment over a 30-week period.
The results showed that the new treatment was effective in controlling the diabetes of 75 per cent of patients who received it. The patients treated with the new jab also experienced a decrease in blood sugars and saw reductions in body weight.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
The new treatment, Exenatide once weekly, is the first in a new class of long-acting medications that mimic the action of GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide), a naturally occurring hormone that is produced in the gut after eating.
The study, published in the journal The Lancet this week, compared outcomes for patients using Exenatide once weekly against results from the conventional 14 injections a week, as in the currently available version of the drug.
In a six-month clinical trial involving 300 type 2 diabetes sufferers in Canada, patients were either given the current drug twice a day or the new treatment over a 30-week period.
The results showed that the new treatment was effective in controlling the diabetes of 75 per cent of patients who received it. The patients treated with the new jab also experienced a decrease in blood sugars and saw reductions in body weight.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008