Amylin’s Bydureon fails to impress in head-to-head trial

Shares of Amylin Pharmaceuticals dipped after the developer posted disappointing data from a new trial showing that its closely watched GLP-1 diabetes drug Bydureon managed to beat out a competitor but only matched two other standard treatments. In the study, patients taking Bydureon demonstrated a 1.5 percent drop in blood sugar, or A1C, slightly better than Januvia but only on par with the generic metformin and Takeda's Actos. Analysts weren't impressed, noting that the once-weekly...

Regulator notes potential cancer risk for weekly Byetta

A top regulator at the FDA has noted that data on the long-acting diabetes drug Byetta from Amylin and Eli Lilly indicate that the drug could be linked to a higher risk of cancer similar to that seen in Novo Nordisk's Victoza. Both are GLP-1 analogs. Analysts were quick to note that if the FDA responds with a black box warning on the risk, the companies were likely to see a slower uptake. The FDA temporarily delayed its decision on the once-weekly therapy after raising a few questions about the...