Conditions: Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
Keywords: hyperglycemia, GLP-1
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 859
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the benefits and risks of lixisenatide (AVE0010), in comparison to placebo, as an add-on treatment to sulfonylurea without or with metformin, over a period of 24 weeks of treatment, followed by an extension.

The primary objective is to assess the effects of lixisenatide when added to sulfonylurea with or without metformin on glycemic control in terms of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) reduction (absolute change) at Week 24.

The secondary objectives are to assess the effects of lixisenatide on percentage of patients reaching HbA1c less than (\<) 7 percent (%); percentage of patients reaching HbA1c less than or equal to (\<=) 6.5%; body weight; fasting plasma glucose (FPG); beta-cell function assessed by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) beta; 2-hour postprandial plasma glucose (PPG), glucagon, insulin, proinsulin, and C-peptide after a standardized meal challenge test in a sub-study in all patients in selected centers; to evaluate safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK) and anti-lixisenatide antibody development.

Detailed description:
Patients who complete the 24-week main double-blind treatment would undergo a variable double-blind extension treatment, which ends for all patients at approximately the scheduled date of Week 76 visit (Visit 25) for the last randomized patient.

Arms:
arm 1: 2-step initiation regimen of lixisenatide: 10 microgram (mcg) once daily (QD) for 1 week, followed by 15 mcg QD for 1 week, then 20 mcg QD up to the end of treatment. arm 2: 2-step initiation regimen of volume matching placebo: 10 mcg QD for 1 week, followed by 15 mcg QD for 1 week, then 20 mcg QD up to the end of treatment.

Interventions: intervention 1: Lixisenatide (AVE0010) intervention 2: Placebo intervention 3: Pen auto-injector intervention 4: Sulfonylurea intervention 5: Metformin
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Self administered by subcutaneous injections once daily within the hour preceding breakfast. intervention 2: Self administered by subcutaneous injections once daily within the hour preceding breakfast. intervention 3: None intervention 4: Sulfonylurea to be continued at maximum effective dose according to local labeling up to end of treatment. intervention 5: Metformin if given to be continued at stable dose (at least 1.5 gram per day \[except at least 0.75 gram per day in Japan and 1.0 gram per day in South Korea\]) up to the end of treatment.

Protocol document: