Efficacy and safety of luseogliflozin as monotherapy in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 study

Objective: Luseogliflozin - a novel, orally bioavailable, 1-thio-D-glucitol derivative and a selective sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor - has shown efficacy and tolerability in previous phase 2 studies. This phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, comparative study aimed to confirm the superiority of 24 week luseogliflozin 2.5 mg monotherapy over placebo in reducing hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: Patients with HbA1c levels of 6.9%-10.5% were randomized to receive luseogliflozin 2.5 mg or placebo once daily for 24 weeks (n=79 in each group). The primary endpoint was change from baseline in HbA1c at end of treatment. Secondary endpoints included change from baseline in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) following a meal tolerance test, body weight, and abdominal circumference. Safety assessments included adverse events (AEs), clinical laboratory tests, and vital signs. Results: At the end of treatment, HbA1c was significantly decreased from baseline in the luseogliflozin 2.5 mg group (-0.63%) versus the placebo group (0.13%), with a between-group difference of -0.75% (p<0.001). Additionally, significant reductions in FPG, PPG, body weight, and abdominal circumference were noted with luseogliflozin compared with placebo (all p<0.05). Luseogliflozin was well tolerated; there was no significant difference between groups in the incidence of AEs (luseogliflozin, 59.5%; placebo, 57.0%). No AEs led to study drug discontinuation. Most AEs were mild in severity, with no severe AE reported. Limitations of this study include its short study duration and small sample size. Conclusion: Luseogliflozin monotherapy for 24 weeks was superior to placebo in reducing HbA1c levels. It also reduced FPG, PPG, body weight, and abdominal circumference and was well tolerated in Japanese patients with T2DM.