Two-year data show investigational drug liraglutide more effective at lowering blood sugar than glimepiride

Data presented today at the 69th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) showed that once-daily liraglutide, taken as monotherapy, leads to statistically significant and sustained reductions in blood sugar and weight after two years of treatment.

In the study, 58% of patients treated with liraglutide 1.8 mg once daily reached and maintained the ADA’s blood sugar target of HbA1C less than 7% versus 37% of patients treated with glimepiride 8 mg once daily.

“The fact that liraglutide continues to effectively lower blood sugar after two years of treatment is consistent with its other long-term clinical benefits such as continued reductions in fasting blood sugar and weight,” said Dr Alan Garber, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, a LEAD™ 3 principal study investigator. “Even with available treatments, many type 2 diabetes patients still struggle to control their blood sugar, while losing weight. Liraglutide represents an important advance for these patients.”

The LEAD™ 3 extension study also documented that treatment with liraglutide leads to early and lasting weight loss. Many currently available diabetes treatments lead to weight gain(2), a concern for type 2 diabetes patients, most of whom are already overweight.(3) After two years of treatment with 1.8 mg of liraglutide, mean body weight decreased significantly (-2.7 kg) compared to overall weight increase in the glimepiride group (+1.1 kg).

Hypoglycaemia is a condition where blood sugar levels become too low. Minor hypoglycaemia was more than six times less frequent in the liraglutide treatment groups compared with the glimepiride group.

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