An experimental diabetes drug, CS-917, failed to significantly lower blood glucose in a midstage clinical trial, biopharmaceutical company Metabasis Therapeutics announced on July 17th.

Metabasis said that in a three-month, Phase 2b trial involving 392 patients, CS-917 did not significantly reduce glycosylated hemoglobin, a measure of glucose load, in patients with type 2 diabetes at either of two doses tested.

“We are surprised and disappointed by the results we have seen so far in this important Phase 2b clinical trial, especially after the promising preclinical and early clinical results from smaller 14-day and 28-day studies,” said Dr. Mark Erion, executive vice president of research and development.

“We've been working on the program for many years now and have a rich set of data from preclinical and clinical work leading up to today,” said Metabasis Chief Executive Paul Laikind.

“It's very possible that what this is telling us is that this drug not going to be maximally effective in newly diagnosed diabetes, but effective in people in the later stage of the disease," Laikind added.

The drug was being developed in partnership with Daiichi Sankyo.

Erion said the two companies will further examine the data and its implications not just for CS-917 but for other experimental drugs in the known as gluconeogenesis inhibitors.