Boston–based Intarcia Therapeutics' released positive early phase 3 results for ITCA 650, a once-a-year glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) treatment for diabetes type 2. Patients testing the GLP-1 receptor agonist exenatide under-the-skin minipump averaged a 2.5% drop in blood glucose after 13 weeks. This is a substantial reduction as the patients who enrolled in the trial had average A1C levels of 10–12% at the outset. Although the GLP-1 space is quite crowded, the convenience of Intarcia's once-a-year solution could give it an edge over its competitors. Sanofi and Medtronic formed an alliance to come up with type 2 diabetes therapies that improve patient adherence and simplify insulin treatment. The two giants will pool their human and financial resources in what they call an open-innovation model, uniting Sanofi's experience in diabetes drug development with Medtronic's heft in insulin-delivery devices and continuous glucose monitors.
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Once-yearly diabetes drug. Nat Biotechnol 32, 709 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0814-709b
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0814-709b