Lexicon's SGLT Two-Step

There are at least eight sodium-glucose transporter 2 inhibitors in development for Type II diabetes, including three in Phase III testing, but Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc. thinks its LX4211 may offer some important advantages. The compound was designed based on the hypothesis that complementing potent inhibition of SGLT2 in the kidneys with limited inhibition of SGLT1 in the gut would provide better glycemic control than targeting SGLT2 alone without causing gastrointestinal problems.

Phase II data reported last week provided proof of concept and more, as LX4211 also demonstrated the unexpected benefit of reducing triglycerides...