This review describes the pharmacologic, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic properties of
albiglutide, as well as its clinical efficacy and safety.
Albiglutide is a novel, once-weekly,
injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist for the treatment of
type 2 diabetes. The European Commission recently granted marketing authorization for the
drug in the European Union and on April 15, 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration approved
albiglutide (Tanzeum™ [GlaxoSmithKline LLC, Wilmington, DE, USA]) to improve
glycemic control in adults with
type 2 diabetes.
Albiglutide has been studied in Phase I, II, and III clinical trials. In the Phase III clinical trials, known as the Harmony series, weekly dosing of
albiglutide demonstrated reductions in fasting plasma
glucose, postprandial plasma
glucose, and
glycated hemoglobin, and was associated with
weight loss. In all phases of the clinical trials,
albiglutide administered once weekly showed a safety and tolerability profile similar to that of placebo, with mild gastrointestinal-related complaints and injection site
erythema being the most commonly encountered adverse effects. Compared with
pioglitazone and
liraglutide,
albiglutide has been shown to be clinically less effective. However, it offers the benefit of
weight loss that
pioglitazone does not, with fewer gastrointestinal side effects than
liraglutide. As guidelines continue to advocate for patient-centered treatment strategies, once-weekly
albiglutide will be an important addition to the growing armamentarium of treatment options for adults with
type 2 diabetes needing target
glycemic control.