STAT+: Structure Therapeutics GLP-1 pill cuts blood sugar, weight in early diabetes study
Structure Therapeutics said Monday that its experimental GLP-1 pill demonstrated a 1% lowering of blood glucose and slightly more than 3% weight loss relative to a placebo in a 12-week study involving participants with type 2 diabetes — results that are preliminary but don’t quite match a competing oral drug under development by Eli Lilly.
The Structure drug, called GSBR-1290, may have a tolerability advantage: Only one participant out of 36 dropped out of the study due to drug-related side effects — a 2.8% discontinuation rate that could prove to be an advantage if confirmed in larger studies.
GSBR-1290, taken once daily, belongs to the booming class of GLP-1 drugs that increase insulin production to lower blood sugar in people with diabetes and make people feel full after eating, leading to dramatic weight loss in people with obesity.
