WASHINGTON, 1st July, 2025 (WAM) -- Researchers at a recent American Diabetes Association meeting reported that efsitora, experimental once-weekly insulin, was comparable to daily insulins in nearly a thousand adults with type 2 diabetes in three late-stage trials.
The trials, which were designed to study patients at different stages of insulin use, each found efsitora to be just as effective as daily insulins for bringing HbA1c levels, a common measure of blood sugar over time, under control.
“Once-weekly efsitora may offer a significant advancement for people with type 2 diabetes who need insulin by eliminating over 300 injections per year,” Jeff Emmick, Lilly’s Senior Vice President of Product Development, said in a statement.
One trial, reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, involved patients with type 2 diabetes who were using insulin for the first time. A second trial in patients who had been using daily basal insulin degludec and a third trial in those who had been taking basal insulin glargine plus extra mealtime insulin doses were both reported in The Lancet.
“Efsitora has the potential to facilitate and simplify insulin therapy, reducing the hesitation often associated with starting insulin to treat type 2 diabetes,” said Dr. Julio Rosenstock of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre, who led one of the studies.
According to an editorial in “The Lancet”, individuals newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes typically begin treatment with oral medications, but around one-third will require insulin therapy within eight years of diagnosis.