BERLIN — A novel glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor dual agonist combined into a single drug (LY3298176, Lilly), dubbed a "twincretin," shows average reductions in HbA1c of up to 2.4% and weight loss of up to 11.3 kg (24.9 lb), according to 6-month data in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Principal investigator Juan Pablo Frias, MD, from the National Research Institute, Los Angeles, California, presented the results of the phase 2b study here at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2018 Annual Meeting.
"These phase 2b clinical trial results for GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist are unprecedented, and the impressive blood glucose and weight reductions seen may lead to a new treatment option for people with type 2 diabetes," he remarked.
The study was simultaneously published in The Lancet.
The clinically meaningful effects on glucose lowering and weight loss of the dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor stimulation, compared with selective agonism of the GLP-1 receptor with dulaglutide, one of the comparators in the trial, suggests "its potential for greater metabolic effects versus selective GLP-1 receptor stimulation, especially for weight reduction," Frias and colleagues highlight in their article.
"In my experience as an investigator and clinician, I have never seen this magnitude of HbA