Extending the evidence for exenatide in type 2 diabetes

Exenatide [Byetta] monotherapy is as effective as combination therapy with standard oral antihyperglycaemic agents in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, according to data presented at the 87th Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society (ENDO) [San Diego, California, US; June 2005]. Patients receiving exenatide alone had comparable glycaemic control to those receiving the drug in combination with metformin. Results from long-term studies of exenatide in combination with sulphonylureas and/or metformin showed that the initial improvements observed in HbA_1c and bodyweight were sustained for 82 weeks.