Daiichi Sankyo studies show Welchol can lower A1C levels

PARSIPPANY, N.J. Daiichi Sankyo has released data from post-hoc analyses of three pivotal studies involving its cholesterol drug Welchol and diabetes.

The data showed that adding Welchol to common diabetes treatment regimens can lower A1C in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus by 1 percent or greater. Almost 50 percent of the patients in the analyses had a mean reduction in A1C of 1.04 percent and nearly a quarter had a mean reduction as great as 1.40 percent.

A second post-hoc analysis demonstrated that Welchol lowered A1C and LDL-cholesterol levels consistently across type 2 diabetes patients, regardless of age, gender or race. These findings were included among five poster presentations by Daiichi Sankyo at the National Lipid Association Annual Scientific Sessions.

“These findings are significant given the critical importance of achieving and maintaining A1C control,” said Vivian Fonseca, professor of Medicine and Pharmacology and chief section chief of Endocrinology at Tulane University Health Sciences Center, and a principal study investigator. “A patient’s A1C level is one of our primary markers in determining their risk of developing cardiovascular disease. These analyses show that adding Welchol to the most common type 2 diabetes regimens can help achieve additional A1C lowering across many different patient types.”