Dulaglutide therapy for poorly controlled type 2 diabetes in children and youths leads to superior glycaemic control than placebo without compromising safety, research shows.

Almost three times as many patients given the GLP-1 receptor agonist achieved a HbA1c of less than 7% at 26 weeks compared with those in the placebo group, according to results from the multi-country trial.

And although the incidence of gastrointestinal adverse events was higher with dulaglutide, the safety profile was similar to that seen in adults, the US-led investigators say.

“If ultimately approved for paediatric use, [dulaglutide] may offer advantages not only with regard to glycaemic control but also with … its frequency and method of administration,” they wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine.