Shares in Arecor Therapeutics PLC (AIM:AREC) rose 7% to 63.6p after it published full clinical results showing its experimental ultra-concentrated insulin works just as quickly in heavier patients as in lighter ones, a longstanding weak point for high-strength formulations.
The findings appeared in Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism, marking the first time the complete data from the AT278-104 trial has been peer-reviewed.
Results had previously been presented only at diabetes conferences in Europe and the United States.
AT278 is a 500 units per millilitre version of insulin aspart, five times the strength of the standard formulation, designed for patients who need large daily doses.
The trial compared it with standard-strength insulin aspart and with U500 human regular insulin, measuring how fast each was absorbed and how quickly each lowered blood glucose.
AT278 was absorbed significantly faster than both comparators. That translated into a significantly greater glucose-lowering effect in the first hour after injection.
Crucially, the rapid onset held regardless of body mass index, unlike the standard-strength product.
Total insulin exposure and overall glucose-lowering activity were comparable across the treatments, with no safety concerns flagged.
Jan Jezek, chief scientific officer at the Cambridge-based company, said the data addressed one of the persistent problems with concentrated insulin therapies.
He pointed to obesity affecting more than one billion people worldwide and rising rates of insulin resistance, which drive up daily insulin requirements.
The average daily dose for this group of patients in the US is 100 units.
Arecor argues that no ultra-rapid U500 insulin currently exists for mealtime use, leaving a gap the company hopes AT278 can fill.
The formulation is also being positioned as an enabler for automated insulin delivery systems, where higher concentration allows smaller pumps that can be worn for longer between refills.
Arecor, which is quoted on AIM, develops reformulated versions of existing drugs for diabetes, obesity and related cardiometabolic conditions.
AT278 remains at the clinical stage and has not been approved anywhere.
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