Efficacy and safety of exenatide in patients of Asian descent with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled with metformin or metformin and a sulphonylurea

AimsTo evaluate the efficacy of exenatide in Asian patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) inadequately controlled with oral agents.MethodsPatients taking metformin (MET) alone or with a sulphonylurea (SU) were randomly assigned to exenatide 5 μg then 10 μg twice-daily for 4 and 12 weeks, respectively, or placebo. The primary endpoint was baseline to endpoint HbA1c change.Results466 patients (age 54 ± 9 years, weight 68.7 ± 11.2 kg, BMI 26.3 ± 3.3 kg/m2, and HbA1c 8.3 ± 1.1%; mean ± S.D.) were enrolled in the full analysis set. Endpoint HbA1c reduction (mean [95% CI]) with exenatide was superior to placebo (−1.2 [−1.3, −1.1]% vs. −0.4 [−0.5, −0.2]%, p < 0.001). More exenatide- than placebo-treated patients achieved HbA1c ≤7% (48% vs. 17%, p < 0.001). At endpoint, weight reduction was greater with exenatide (−1.2 [−1.5, −0.9] kg) than placebo (−0.1 [−0.3, 0.2] kg), p < 0.001. Nausea, generally mild-to-moderate, was the most common adverse event with exenatide (25% vs. 1% with placebo). The incidence of symptomatic hypoglycaemia with exenatide and placebo were 36% and 9%, respectively (p < 0.001). Hypoglycaemia rates (events/patient-year) for patients taking exenatide with MET or MET and SU were 1.8 (0.9, 3.7) and 4.7 (3.5, 6.5), respectively.ConclusionExenatide treatment improved glycaemic control in Asian patients with T2D and had a similar safety profile as in non-Asian patients.