GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has submitted a Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) for albiglutide, with the proprietary name Eperzan, to the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Albiglutide is an investigational once-weekly treatment for adult patients with type 2 diabetes which is not yet approved anywhere in the world.
On January 14, 2013, GSK announced the submission of a regulatory application in the United States for albiglutide.
Albiglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, is an investigational biological product for the treatment of type 2 diabetes designed for once-weekly subcutaneous dosing. GLP-1 is a peptide that is normally secreted from the gastrointestinal tract during a meal which in turn helps release insulin to control blood sugar elevations after eating. In people with type 2 diabetes, GLP-1 secretion in response to a meal is reduced or absent. GLP-1 is rapidly degraded while albiglutide has been developed to have a longer duration of action by being comprised of two copies of modified human GLP-1 fused in series to human albumin.