Liraglutide is a new diabetes drug in the same class as Byetta, which cuts the blood sugar and lowers weight of people with early type 2 diabetes. Liraglutide requires one injection per day, where as Byetta requires two injections in a day. Liraglutide is a laboratory made version of GLP-1 (glucagons-like peptide),a harmone produced by the body.
  
 Baylor College of Medicine researcher Alan Garber, MD, PhD, and colleagues conducted a new study in which they compared liraglutide to Amaryl, a drug which stimulate insulin secretion. For the trial,746 patients with early type 2 diabetes received once-daily 1.2 mg or 1.8 mg doses of liraglutide by injection or receive Amaryl once-daily by oral tablet.

As a result researchers found that liraglutide had more benefits against type 2 diabetes than Amaryl. Patients treated with liraglutide lost weight. Patients on 1.2 mg dose of liraglutide, lost 7.1 pounds, on 1.8 mg dose of liraglutide lost 7.1. On Amaryl the weight loss was 3.15 pounds, though nausea was a common side effect of liraglutide. Liraglutide alse reduced the blood pressure of patients as compared to Amaryl. 

According to the trial leader Dr. Alan Garber ,the results of this trial have been given to the FDA,which will review them and decide weather to approve the drug for use in U.S. or not. Garber said, “It should be out sometime in the first half of next year.” 

The pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, sponsored this trial. Company hopes to market the new drug if approved. Liraglutide would be the second GLP-1diabetes medicine on the U.S. market. The first drug, exenatide (Byetta) was approved in 2005 by the FDA and marked by Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Elililly.

Garber and colleagues conclude, “We conclude that liraglutide is safe and effective as initial pharmacological therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus and has advantages over other drugs used in monotherapy, such as greater reductions in weight, the number of [too-high-blood-sugar] events, and systolic blood pressure.”