Taspoglutide

Taspoglutide is a pharmaceutical drug, a glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist (GLP-1 agonist), under investigation for treatment of type 2 diabetes being codeveloped by Ipsen and Roche. Taspoglutide is a pharmaceutical drug, a glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist (GLP-1 agonist), under investigation for treatment of type 2 diabetes being codeveloped by Ipsen and Roche. Two phase II trials reported it was effective and well tolerated. Of the eight planned phase III clinical trials of weekly taspoglutide (four against exenatide, sitagliptin, insulin glargine, and pioglitazone), at least five were active in 2009. Preliminary results in early 2010 were favourable. (At least one of the eight planned phase III trials had not started recruiting by end 2009.) In September 2010 Roche halted Phase III clinical trials due to incidences of serious hypersensitivity reactions and gastrointestinal side effects. As of May 2013 no new trials had been registered. Taspoglutide is the peptide with the sequence H2N-His-2-methyl-Ala-Glu-Gly-Thr-Phe-Thr-Ser-Asp-Val-Ser-Ser-Tyr-Leu-Glu-Gly-Gln-Ala-Ala-Lys-Glu-Phe-Ile-Ala-Trp-Leu-Val-Lys-2-methyl-Ala-Arg-CONH2. In other words, it is the 8-(2-methylalanine)-35-(2-methylalanine)-36-L-argininamide derivative of the amino acid sequence 7–36 of human glucagon-like peptide I.