NANJING - A team of Chinese researchers has achieved significant progress in blood glucose control and weight reduction for the treatment of type 2 diabetes through a study evaluating the efficacy and safety of the home-grown medicine Mazdutide.
In a Phase III clinical trial conducted by Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital in Jiangsu Province, 320 Chinese adults were randomly assigned in equal proportions to receive once-weekly subcutaneous injections of Mazdutide or a placebo for 24 weeks, followed by a 24-week open-label extension with Mazdutide.
The study, published in the journal Nature, highlighted that Mazdutide monotherapy outperformed placebo in participants with type 2 diabetes whose condition was inadequately controlled by diet and exercise alone.
The treatment produced clinically meaningful improvements in both blood glucose control and weight reduction while maintaining a favorable safety profile. Despite advances in type 2 diabetes management, there remain unmet needs for therapies that not only effectively control hyperglycaemia but also address related metabolic disorders, according to Zhu Dalong, director of the department of endocrinology at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital.
Zhu said that the treatment of type 2 diabetes has long presented a dilemma. While some conventional blood sugar-lowering medications are effective, they often cause weight gain, which can in turn worsen insulin resistance, creating a vicious cycle that complicates long-term disease management.
Mazdutide is a dual GCG/GLP-1 receptor agonist developed by China's Innovent Biologics, and its core advantage lies in its dual mechanism of action.
GLP-1, or glucagon-like peptide-1, is released after meals. It can stimulate insulin secretion, slow down digestive movement, and promote satiety. GCG, or glucagon secreted by the pancreas, can enhance fat oxidation and boost energy expenditure when its receptors are activated.
By targeting both pathways, this dual-action mechanism can curb appetite and accelerate metabolism, allowing it to address complex metabolic issues in obese patients more comprehensively, such as visceral fat accumulation and insulin resistance.
Zhu said that GCG has traditionally been used to rescue patients with type 1 diabetes experiencing hypoglycemia by raising blood glucose. "The significance of this study lies in confirming that activating both GCG and GLP-1 receptors in specific ratios can achieve the synergistic effect of lowering blood glucose levels."
In 2024, one in nine adults worldwide was living with diabetes. The number of adults with diabetes in 2024 exceeded 500 million and is projected to rise to close to 900 million by 2050, according to a research article published by the International Diabetes Federation in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology earlier this month,
- Xinhua
The blue circle is the global symbol for diabetes, introduced by the International Diabetes Federation with the aim of giving diabetes a common identity, supporting existing efforts to raise awareness of diabetes and placing the diabetes epidemic firmly in the public spotlight. The blue circle symbol is the logo of World Diabetes Day and has been used to represent diabetes since 2006. Image courtesy of IntDiabetesFed/Wikimedia Commons
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