Results from a new study of Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes showed once-weekly Trulicity 0.75 mg, manufactured by Eli Lilly and Company provided greater hemoglobin A1c (A1C) reduction compared to once-daily Victoza 0.9 mg after 52 weeks of treatment.
Eli Lilly has proposed to present these data at the 75th American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions in Boston, USA.
Trulicity is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Japan currently ranks tenth in the world in the number of people with diabetes - an estimated 7.2 million cases. According to the International Diabetes Federation, the overall prevalence of diabetes in the Western Pacific region is expected to increase over the next 20 years. By 2035, an estimated 202 million people in the region will have diabetes, a 46 percent increase from 2014.
Regulatory application for Trulicity in Japan is pending. Trulicity was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2014, and launched in the US in November 2014. The European Commission granted marketing authorization for Trulicity in November 2014, and Eli Lilly expects to launch in various other countries.
"The data not only reinforce once-weekly Trulicity as a safe and efficacious GLP-1 receptor agonist, but further support the value for Japanese patients, with greater A1C reductions compared to once-daily Victoza," said Jessie Fahrbach, MD, Medical Director, Lilly Diabetes. "We are pleased to present these study findings, which capture important information about a key region where type 2 diabetes is on the rise."
