The combination slow release drug could see people with type 2 diabetes replace daily injections with a once-a-week jab.
The drug, a combination of exenatide 2 mg powder and solvent for prolonged release suspension for injection, has been recommended by NICE as a cost-effective triple therapy and as a dual therapy. The treatment will be made available to people with type 2 diabetes unable to control their blood glucose levels with oral therapies.
Exenatide once-weekly, a glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) receptor agonist, when used in combination therapy, offers suitable patients the potential to improve blood glucose control in a once-weekly injection with the added benefit of weight loss for some patients. Due to exenatide once-weekly’s sustained-release technology, compared with other treatments in the same drug class, the injection burden is reduced from once-or twice-daily to once-weekly.
The positive recommendation followed NICE’s final appraisal determination and has been welcomed by pharmaceutical company Lilly UK, who developed the treatment, and GPs.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, a London GP with a special interest in diabetes said: "There are nearly three million people in the UK living with diabetes and recent NHS audit data shows that almost 33% of people with type 2 diabetes are not achieving their blood glucose targets, and 51% are obese.2 This is a significant innovation and can offer doctors, patients, and the NHS a valuable new treatment option for the management of type 2 diabetes."
Sarah Bone, DRWF Chief Executive said "A once-a-week injection is an exciting step forward in treatment options for people with Type 2 diabetes. The combination of improved blood glucose control and the associated benefits in a once-weekly treatment, has the potential to really improve quality of life."