More Than 180 New Diabetes Drugs in Development

A total of 182 new drugs to treat diabetes or diabetes-related conditions are currently in clinical trials or undergoing review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to a report just published by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).

Of that number, 30 drugs are aimed at type 1 diabetes, 100 are aimed at type 2, and 52 are aimed at diabetes-related conditions, such as diabetic neuropathy.

According to PhRMA, among the approaches the new drugs will take include:

• A treatment designed to stimulate and enhance the regeneration of insulin-producing cells for type 1 diabetes

• A medicine that improves glucose-dependent insulin secretion for type 2 diabetes

• A medicine designed to inhibit an enzyme linked to diabetic neuropathy

The PhRMA report detailing to new drug developments also states that there are 200 diabetes drug clinical trials either active or scheduled in the United States. (Sixty are active; 140 are now recruiting or planning to recruit diabetes patient participants.)

A PDF of the full PhRMA report, “Medicines in Development: Diabetes,” is available at http://www.phrma.org/sites/default/files/pdf/diabetes2014.pdf.

The PDF includes a complete chart of the drugs under development, including their names and types, who makes them, what they target (type, 1, type 2, etc.), and their current stage of development.

The chart also provides links to the manufacturers’ websites.