Recent evidence of sustained benefit with exenatide in Type 2 diabetes

Exenatide has been shown to improve glycaemic control (over 30 weeks) in subjects with Type 2 diabetes. A recent extension study has shown that, in metformin-treated subjects with Type 2 diabetes, exenatide remained beneficial at 82 weeks. For those subjects who completed the study, in addition to the 1% fall in glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) at 30 weeks, there was another 0.2% fall in HbA1c by 82 weeks. The weight loss achieved was a mean of 3 kg after 30 weeks, and this increased to 5.3 kg after 82 weeks in the completer cohort. In another extension study, continued benefit with exenatide was shown in subjects treated with metformin and/or sulfonylureas. For those subjects who completed the study, in addition to the 0.9% fall in HbA(1c) at 30 weeks, there was another 0.2% fall in HbA(1c) by 82 weeks. The weight loss achieved was a mean of 1.6 kg after 30 weeks, and this increased to 2.1 kg after 82 weeks in the completer cohort. The subjects taking exenatide with metformin had a greater weight loss (5.3 kg), compared with those treated with a sulfonylurea (3.9 kg) and those taking metformin and a sulfonylurea (4.1 kg). In conclusion, extension studies have confirmed that exenatide is an exciting new and useful medicine for Type 2 diabetes.