Roche Succeeds in Diabetes Drug

By comparing a weekly diabetes drug from Roche reduced blood sugar with other treatments across five late-stage clinical trials, there were found more positive data that adds to the potential blockbuster’s case for approval.

Roche, the world’s largest maker of cancer drugs, licensed taspoglutide from France’s Ipsen in 2006 and believes it can become a major seller in the so-called GLP-1 drug market.

The experimental medicine showed benefits in all five Phase III trials, which compared it with current standards of care, including Eli Lilly and Amylin’s Byetta, Merck & Co’s Januvia and Lantus from Sanofi-Aventis.

In all five studies taspoglutide was generally well tolerated and the most frequently reported problems were nausea and vomiting.

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