Array says early-stage diabetes drug looks promising

BOULDER, Colo. An early-stage clinical trial of an investigational drug for treating Type 2 diabetes met its main goals, the drug’s manufacturer announced this week.

Array BioPharma said the drug ARRY-403 reduced blood glucose following meals and fasting glucose over a 24-hour period in a phase 1 trial involving 41 patients who received doses ranging from 25 mg to 400 mg. The drug belongs to a class known as glucokinase activators, which rely on a glucose-sensing enzyme involved in metabolism of the blood sugar.

“These results are highly encouraging, validating this mechanism-of-action in Type 2 diabetic patients,” Array president and chief scientific officer Kevin Koch said in a statement. “Unlike current therapies, ARRY-403 enhances insulin production from the pancreas while simultaneously regulating glucose metabolism in the liver.”