Cardiovascular Safety and Potential Benefits of Exenatide to be Prospectively Assessed in Large Outcomes Trial
NEW ORLEANS, June 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company today announced results from a meta-analysis of cardiovascular (CV) events that showed no increased risk of CV events associated with BYETTA(R) (exenatide) injection use compared to a pooled comparator group treated with either placebo or insulin. This analysis applied the principles that were described in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) guidance for evaluating CV risk in type 2 diabetes agents. These findings were presented at the 69th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in New Orleans.
In the meta-analysis of 12 completed, randomized, controlled clinical trials of 12-52 weeks, the unadjusted rate at which patients experienced at least one CV event was 2.0 percent for BYETTA and 2.6 percent for the comparator group; the relative risk between BYETTA and the comparator group was 0.69 with a 95 percent confidence interval of 0.46-1.03.
“The data from this analysis are reassuring and consistent with clinical trial data that show favorable effects of exenatide on cardiovascular risk factors,” said Byron Hoogwerf, M.D., clinical research physician for Eli Lilly and Company. “Amylin and Lilly intend to initiate a large cardiovascular outcomes trial to further evaluate safety and to determine if there are cardiovascular benefits of exenatide treatment.”
“Patient safety is of utmost concern at Amylin and Lilly,” said Orville G. Kolterman, M.D., senior vice president of research and development at Amylin. “Given that people living with diabetes have two- to four-times greater risk of cardiovascular disease compared to people who don’t have diabetes, we are comforted to have data that showed patients treated with BYETTA had no increased risk of cardiovascular events and that BYETTA may offer a potential cardiovascular benefit.”
Study Design and Findings
In this integrated analysis, 2,316 BYETTA subjects and 1,629 pooled comparator subjects were treated for a total of 1,072 and 780 patient-years of exposure, respectively. The unadjusted incidence of experiencing at least one CV event was 2.0 percent for BYETTA and 2.6 percent for pooled comparator; the relative risk between BYETTA and pooled comparator was 0.69 (95 percent confidence interval: 0.46-1.03). The Exposure Adjusted Incidence Rate (expressed as per 1,000 patient years) was 43.4 for BYETTA and 54.4 for pooled comparator with a relative risk 0.80 (95 percent confidence interval: 0.53-1.21). CV events included stroke, myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, cardiac mortality, arrhythmia, revascularization procedures and congestive heart failure.
About Diabetes
Diabetes affects more than 23 million people in the U.S. and an estimated 246 million adults worldwide.(i,ii) Approximately 90-95 percent of those affected have type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death by disease in the U.S. and results in approximately $174 billion per year in direct and indirect medical expenses.(iii)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, approximately 60 percent of people with diabetes do not achieve their target blood sugar levels with their current treatment regimen.(iv) In addition, 85 percent of type 2 diabetes patients are overweight and 55 percent are considered obese.(v) Data support that weight loss (even a modest amount) supports patients in their efforts to achieve and sustain glycemic control.(vi,vii)
About BYETTA(R) (exenatide) injection
BYETTA is the first and only FDA-approved incretin mimetic for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. BYETTA exhibits many of the same effects as the human incretin hormone glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1). GLP-1 improves blood sugar after food intake through multiple effects that work in concert on the stomach, liver, pancreas and brain. BYETTA is approved by the FDA for use by people with type 2 diabetes who are unsuccessful at controlling their blood sugar levels. BYETTA is an add-on therapy for people currently using metformin, a sulfonylurea, or a thiazolidinedione. BYETTA provides sustained A1C control and low incidence of hypoglycemia when used with metformin or a thiazolidinedione, with potential weight loss. BYETTA is not a weight loss product. BYETTA was approved in April 2005 and has been used by more than one million patients since its introduction. For full prescribing information, visit www.BYETTA.com.
Important Safety Information for BYETTA
BYETTA improves glucose (blood sugar) control in adults with type 2 diabetes. It is used with metformin, a sulfonylurea, or a thiazolidinedione. BYETTA is not a substitute for insulin in patients whose diabetes requires insulin treatment. BYETTA is not recommended for use in patients with severe problems digesting food or those who have severe disease of the stomach or kidney.
When BYETTA is used with a medicine that contains a sulfonylurea, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is a possible side effect. To reduce this possibility, the dose of sulfonylurea medicine may need to be reduced while using BYETTA. Other common side effects with BYETTA include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, feeling jittery and acid stomach. Nausea is the most common side effect when first starting BYETTA, but decreases over time in most patients.
If patients experience the following severe and persistent symptoms (alone or in combination): abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, they should talk to their healthcare provider because these symptoms could be signs of serious medical conditions. BYETTA may reduce appetite, the amount of food eaten, and body weight. No changes in dose are needed for these side effects. These are not all of the side effects from use of BYETTA. A healthcare provider should be consulted about any side effect that is bothersome or does not go away. For full prescribing information, visit www.BYETTA.com.
About Amylin and Lilly
Amylin Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company committed to improving lives through the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative medicines. Amylin has developed and gained approval for two first-in-class medicines for diabetes, SYMLIN(R) (pramlintide acetate) injection and BYETTA(R) (exenatide) injection. Amylin’s research and development activities leverage the Company’s expertise in metabolism to develop potential therapies to treat diabetes and obesity. Amylin is headquartered in San Diego, California. Further information about Amylin Pharmaceuticals is available at www.amylin.com.
Through a long-standing commitment to diabetes care, Lilly provides patients with breakthrough treatments that enable them to live longer, healthier and fuller lives. Since 1923, Lilly has been the industry leader in pioneering therapies to help healthcare professionals improve the lives of people with diabetes, and research continues on innovative medicines to address the unmet needs of patients. For more information about Lilly’s current diabetes products visit, www.lillydiabetes.com.
Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Lilly provides answers - through medicines and information - for some of the world’s most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at www.lilly.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements about Amylin and Lilly. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed or implied in this press release due to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the risk that BYETTA and the revenues generated from BYETTA may be affected by competition; unexpected new data; safety and technical issues; clinical trials not confirming previous results; pre-clinical trials not predicting future results; label expansion requests not being submitted in a timely manner or receiving regulatory approval; the clinical data analyses mentioned in this press release not being predictive of real-world experience; or manufacturing and supply issues. The potential for BYETTA may also be affected by government and commercial reimbursement and pricing decisions, the pace of market acceptance, or scientific, regulatory and other issues and risks inherent in the commercialization of pharmaceutical products. These and additional risks and uncertainties are described more fully in Amylin’s and Lilly’s most recent SEC filings including their Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Reports on Form 10-K. Amylin and Lilly undertake no duty to update these forward-looking statements.
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(i) “All About Diabetes.” American Diabetes Association. Available at: http://www.diabetes.org/about-diabetes.jsp. Accessed March 28, 2009.
(ii) The International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas. Available at: http://www.idf.org/home/index.cfm?unode=3B96906B-C026-2FD3-87B73F80BC22682A. Accessed March 28, 2009.
(iii) “Direct and Indirect Costs of Diabetes in the United States.” American Diabetes Association. Available at: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-statistics/cost-of-diabetes-in-us.jsp. Accessed March 28, 2009.
(iv) Saydah SH, Fradkin J and Cowie CC. “Poor control of risk factors for vascular disease among adults with previously diagnosed diabetes.” JAMA: 291(3), January 21, 2004.
(v) Bays HE, Chapman RH, Grandy S. The relationship of body mass index to diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidaemia: comparison of data from two national surveys. Int J Clin Pract. 2007;61:737-47.
(vi) Nutrition Recommendations and Interventions for Diabetes: a position statement of the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2008;31 Suppl 1:S61-78.
(vii) Anderson JW, Kendall CW, Jenkins DJ. Importance of weight management in type 2 diabetes: review with meta-analysis of clinical studies. J Am Coll Nutr. 2003;22:331-9.
CONTACT: Anne Erickson of Amylin, +1-858-754-4443, Cell, +1-858-349-3195,
anne.erickson@amylin.com; or Kindra Strupp of Lilly, +1-317-277-5170, Cell,
+1-317-554-9577, kstrupp@lilly.com
Web site: http://www.amylin.com/
http://www.BYETTA.com/
http://www.lilly.com/
