Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 is being combatted by drugmaker Sanofi, whose candidate drug Lyxumia, or lixisenatide, when added to basal insulin, significantly reduced blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes patients and also led to loss in weight.
Lyxumia is a member of the GLP-1 class of drugs, which stimulate insulin release when glucose levels become too high. It has not gotten government approval for sale anywhere in the world yet.
Sanofi-Aventis licensed Lyxumia from Zealand Pharma and the treatment is being touted as a possible blockbuster which could help the company achieve its goal of becoming the world's top diabetes treatment company.
Though the results of the most recent trial were consistent with previous outcomes in Asia, researchers underscored the fact that type 2 diabetes patients, who tend to have the disease because they are overweight, also lost weight.
"Importantly, in our view, this trial did demonstrate significant weight loss," Jeffries analysts stated in a research note, according to Reuters.
"Sanofi should ensure blockbuster commercial success, largely driven by a Lantus combination," the Jeffries report continued. Lantus is Sanofi's insulin, which last year was the company's highest-selling treatment, taking in 3.5 billion euros.
Sanofi said that blood sugar levels of patients taking a Lyxumia/basal insulin combination fell significantly without increasing their risk of hypoglycemia, compared to patients who were given placebos.
The most common side effect from the drug was nausea, and Sanofi reported that few patients had to abandon the trial as a result.
