Berberine Ursodeoxycholate for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Few of the available therapies for type 2 diabetes (T2D) comprehensively address disease burden beyond glycemic control. Examining whether berberine ursodeoxycholate (HTD1801), a first-in-class gut-liver anti-inflammatory metabolic modulator, has the potential to treat the core aspects of metabolic disease is important.

To assess the safety and efficacy of HTD1801 in patients with T2D that is inadequately controlled with diet and exercise.

This phase 2 double-blind, placebo-controlled, 12-week randomized clinical trial, conducted in China between March 2022 and January 2023, included patients with T2D who underwent 8 or more weeks of diet and exercise, had a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level of 7.0% to 10.5%, and had a fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level less than 250.5 mg/dL.

Patients were randomized 1:1:1 to placebo (n = 38), HTD1801 500 mg twice daily (n = 37), and HTD1801 1000 mg twice daily (n = 38).

The primary end point was the HbA1c level change from baseline to week 12. Secondary end points included glycemic, hepatic, and cardiometabolic parameters. The primary end point was analyzed using a mixed-effects model for repeated measures, with the HbA1c level change from baseline as the dependent variable. Treatment group, measurement time point, and interaction between treatment group and measurement time point were independent variables.

The study included 113 patients with T2D (mean [SD] age, 54.3 [10.6] years; 72 male [63.7%]) who were randomized. Among these patients, the mean (SD) HbA1c level was 8.2% (0.8%); body mass index, 25.5 (3.7), calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared; and FPG level, 160.7 (38.3) mg/dL. Baseline disease severity was balanced across treatment groups. The primary end point was achieved with significant dose-dependent reductions in the HbA1c level in both HTD1801 groups compared with the placebo group. The least-squares mean difference in the HbA1c level at week 12 was -0.4% (95% CI, -0.79% to -0.03%; P = .04) for the 500-mg group and -0.7% (95% CI, -1.10% to -0.35%; P < .001) for the 1000-mg group compared with the placebo group. HbA1c level reductions were paralleled with mean (SD) improvements in the FPG level in both the 500-mg group (-13.0 [38.2] mg/dL) and the 1000-mg group (-18.4 [21.8] mg/dL) groups. Reductions were observed in lipids and markers of liver injury in the 1000-mg group. HTD1801 was safe and well tolerated, with 110 patients (97.3%) completing the study. Treatment-emergent adverse events, generally mild, occurred in 59 patients (52.2%) overall. One patient (in the 500-mg group) experienced a serious adverse event of retinal hemorrhage, which was unlikely related to treatment. No patients discontinued due to an adverse event.

In this placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial, treatment with HTD1801 resulted in significant reductions in the HbA1c level and improvements in key cardiometabolic and liver parameters. HTD1801 was safe and well tolerated. These findings are being confirmed in ongoing phase 3 studies. The effects demonstrated by HTD1801 support an oral treatment option for T2D and its comorbidities.

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06411275.