Liraglutide more effective than exenatide in Type 2 diabetes treatment

MONTREAL New data from a phase 3 trial show that the drug liraglutide is more effective than exenatide in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes.

Liraglutide is Novo Nordisk’s investigative diabetes drug; exenatide is the generic name of Eli Lilly’s Byetta.

The results, presented Friday to the Canadian Diabetes Association and the Canadian Society of Endocrinology, found that once-daily liraglutide was more effective at improving blood-glucose control than twice-daily exenatide.

The study included 464 people with Type 2 diabetes who received 1.8 mg of liraglutide once daily or 10 micrograms of exenatide twice daily, both as an add-on to their existing treatment comprising metformin or sulphonylurea, over a period of 26 weeks. Patients receiving liraglutide experienced significantly less hypoglycemia compared to those using exenatide.