Roche reports taspoglutide success

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Roche has announced the results of two T-emerge phase III trials of taspoglutide, a once-weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 therapy for patients with diabetes. It emerged from research by Ipsen.

T-emerge 5 tested subcutaneous weekly taspoglutide as an add-on to metformin in patients not responding to metformin and sulfonylurea. T-emerge 7 was a similar test for patients with high body-mass indices.

Roche reports that the treatment was generally well tolerated in both studies, the most frequently reported adverse reactions being nausea and vomiting.

Taspoglutide is similar to the natural hormone GLP-1, which has a key role in blood-sugar regulation. Substitutes that stimulate insulin and suppress glucagon are regarded as true innovations.

Copyright Press Association 2009