Ipsen has announced that its partner Roche has disclosed headline results of the fourth and fifth of eight T-emerge phase III studies in patients with diabetes for Taspoglutide, the once weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue based on a human sequence.
Taspoglutide originating from Ipsen’s research is developed by Roche. T-emerge 5 (subcutaneous weekly Taspoglutide versus daily insulin glargine as add-on to metformin in patients failing on metformin and sulfonylurea) and T-emerge 7 (subcutaneous weekly Taspoglutide versus placebo as add-on to metformin in patients with high BMI), both met their respective primary endpoints of change in HbA1c.
In both studies, Taspoglutide was generally well tolerated. The most frequently reported adverse events among Taspoglutide treated patients were nausea and vomiting.
The company said that this compound is similar to the natural hormone GLP-1 which has a key role in blood sugar regulation. GLP-1 analogues, which stimulate insulin secretion and suppress glucagon secretion, are true innovations in the diabetes field.