Eli Lilly's diabetes treatment meets main goal in two late-stage studies

[October 02, 2018]  (Reuters) - Eli Lilly and Co said on Tuesday its experimental diabetes treatment was shown to be as effective as the drugmaker's Humalog medicine in two late-stage studies.

The study also found that the drug, Ultra Rapid Lispro, significantly improved post-meal blood sugar levels in people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and had a similar safety profile as Humalog.

Ultra Rapid Lispro is a mealtime insulin formulation being developed to help better control blood glucose levels after meals by more closely mirroring the way insulin works in people without diabetes.

Lilly has an large diabetes franchise including Trulicity, Humalog and Humulin. Its bestselling Humalog brought in revenue of $769.8 million in the last quarter.

About 30 million Americans suffer from diabetes, of which an estimated 90 to 95 percent have type 2 diabetes.

(Reporting by Saumya Sibi Joseph in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)

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