Pharmacokinetics and Preliminary Pharmacodynamics of Single- and Multiple-dose Lyophilized Recombinant Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist (rE-4) in Chinese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background and Objectives Recombinant glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (rE-4) is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, which has the same amino acid sequence to exenatide, except for the C-terminal deamidated. This study assessed the pharmacokinetics and preliminary pharmacodynamics of rE-4, following single and multiple subcutaneous injections in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Design and methods In the randomized, open-label study, Chinese patients with T2DM ( n = 36) were randomly assigned to three groups of rE-4 ( n = 12), rE-4 with metformin ( n = 12) and exenatide ( n = 12, as the control group) for 12 weeks. rE-4 and exenatide were administered by subcutaneous injection in the abdomen, and metformin was given by oral administration. Patients received rE-4 or exenatide 5 μg twice a day for the first 4 weeks and adjusted the dose of rE-4 or exenatide to 10 μg twice a day at day 29 for the following 8 weeks, if their glycated albumin (GA) values were still greater than 17%. We evaluated pharmacokinetic parameters of rE-4 and exenatide, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-h postprandial blood glucose (PG2 h), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and body weight at designated time points. Results Thirty-six patients were enrolled, and 29 subjects finished the study. rE-4 was absorbed quickly with a median peak-reaching time ( t max ) of 0.8–1.5 h and eliminated rapidly with a median terminal half-life ( t 1/2z ) of 1.6–1.9 h. The exposure of rE-4 increased in an approximately dose-proportional method without accumulation. rE-4 10 μg twice a day could reduce FPG (~2.29 mmol/L), PG2 h (~6.00 mmol/L), HbA1c (~1.19%) and body weight (~0.48 kg) from baseline to 12 weeks, with no statistical significance compared with exenatide (FPG: ~1.88 mmol/L; PG2 h: ~6.66 mmol/L; HbA1c: ~1.13%; body weight: ~0.47 kg) and rE-4 with metformin (FPG: ~2.33 mmol/L; PG2 h: ~6.51 mmol/L; HbA1c: ~0.84%; body weight: ~1.16 kg) ( p > 0.05). Conclusions rE-4 twice a day has a pharmacokinetic profile similar to exenatide and rE-4 with metformin after single and multiple doses in Chinese patients with T2DM. Also, rE-4 could improve glycemic control effectively. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01342042.