New once-weekly insulin injection for type 2 diabetes wins FDA approval

The US Food and Drug Administration has officially approved Eli Lilly’s once-weekly basal insulin for adults with type 2 diabetes- a move that offers patients an alternative to daily long-acting insulin injections.

According to Reuters, Onswik chemically known as insulin efsitora alfa-globe is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to control high blood sugar. Lilly has confirmed that the once-weekly treatment could decrease the injections burden by more than 300 per year compared with a once-daily basal insulin.

Onswik will be available in the United States in the coming months as a pre-filled KwikPen in two concentrations such as 500 units per milliliter and 1,000 units per milliliter. The reports showed that the regulatory approval was based on trials that listed more than 3,400 adults with type 2 diabetes across four studies.

Onswik achieved the primary objective in each study showing declines in A1C, a measure of blood sugar that was not inferior to the daily basal insulin glargine.

Notably, insulin glargine sold under brands such as Sanofi’s Lantus and Lilly’s Basaglar is used to control blood sugar in type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Onswik’s past regulatory clearances were in Europe, Japan and Mexico.