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(Reuters) - An experimental treatment for type 2 diabetes developed by Johnson & Johnson proved effective at reducing blood sugar in patients on long-term insulin therapy and at high risk for heart problems, according to a study presented on Tuesday.

The drug, canagliflozin, also led to clinically meaningful drops in blood pressure and weight loss, both of which should be beneficial for diabetics at an elevated risk of heart problems, researchers said.

"It's always a challenge to try and reduce weight, reduce blood glucose, reduce blood pressure and here you've got an agent which will help you to reduce weight, blood sugar and blood pressure all in one go," David Matthews, one of the study's lead researchers, said in a telephone interview.

The data, from an 18-week sub-study of more than 1,700 patients, was culled from a much larger Phase III trial called Canvas that was part of J&J's application package submitted earlier this year seeking U.S. and European approval for canagliflozin. If approved, it would be the diversified healthcare conglomerate's first diabetes medicine.

Patients in the sub-study, which compared the drug at doses of 100 milligrams or 300 mg to placebo, suffered from type 2 diabetes on average for 16 years and were on insulin therapy for an average of seven years, having progressed from other medicines. More than half had a history of prior heart attacks, strokes or vascular problems.

After 18 weeks of daily treatment, A1C - a common measure of blood sugar - was reduced by 0.65 percent in patients taking 100 mg of canagliflozin and by 0.73 percent at 300 mg versus virtually no change on placebo.

"These are clinically significant drops, no doubt about it," said Matthews, a professor of diabetes at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism in Oxford, England.

The results were presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) meeting in Berlin.

Patients on canagliflozin experienced modest increases in both bad LDL cholesterol and good HDL cholesterol. The increase in LDL could be a cause of concern for heart patients, but might be balanced somewhat by the HDL increase, Matthews said.

The J&J drug also led to statistically significant reductions in systolic blood pressure at both doses (-2.6 mmHg and -4.4 mmHg), as well as reductions in diastolic blood pressure, or both ends of the blood pressure reading.

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J&J diabetes drug effective in high risk patients

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Home » Long Term Weight Loss » J&J diabetes drug effective in high risk patients