Under development by Novo Nordisk, a member of a new class of antidiabetic drugs performed well in a trial, according to a report published in the Sept. 25 online issue of The Lancet.

The diabetes medicine, called Liraglutide, is similar to Byetta, an injectable drug used to improve blood sugar control in adults suffering from type 2 diabetes. Liraglutide is a laboratory-made version of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). One of GLP-1 family members has already received FDA approval. Several others are still in clinical trials.

In a phase 3 trial, the drug proved great effectiveness against type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body does not respond properly to insulin, a hormone released by the pancreas, researchers said.

The Food and Drug Administration will decide if the drug should be approved for use in the U.S. or not, based on the results of the trial, stated trial leader Dr. Alan Garber, a professor of medicine, biochemistry and cell and molecular biology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.

The trial has been funded by Novo Nordisk, a company that manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products and services. If approved, liraglutide will be marketed by the corporation.

As maintained by Dr. Sten Madsbad, a professor of endocrinology at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, the antidiabetic medicine offers all the benefits the other GLP-1 molecules offer, including long-lasting activity. "First it stimulates insulin production. Then it also promotes glucagon release from the pancreas. It also changes appetite, and therefore you eat less,” Madsbad said.

A significant reduction in weight, systolic blood pressure, as well as the number of too high blood sugar events count among liraglutide’s advantages, Garber and his team said.