A brief review on newer Glucagon like Peptide-1 analogues

GLP-1 (Glucagon like Peptide-1) receptor agonists have been shown to be effective in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Although the first GLP-1 receptor agonist, Exenatide, was approved in the year 2000, other agents with a longer duration of action that do not require twice-daily dosing are now being developed. Indeed, Liraglutide, a once-daily GLP-1 receptor agonist, was approved in 2010, a once-weekly extended-release formulation of Exenatide (Exenatide ER) was approved in 2011 and now more recently Semaglutide, an oral GLP 1 receptor agonist was approved for medical use in the United States in September 2019 and in the European Union in April 2020. The importance of GLP-1 itself and the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists in T2DM are discussed. An overview of the clinical development of the GLP-1 receptor agonists (Exenatide ER, Liraglutide, Lixisenatide, Albiglutide, Taspoglutide and Semaglutide) is provided and their mechanism of action, efficacy in terms of glycaemic control, weight loss and tolerability are reviewed. Keywords: GLP1 receptor agonist; Liraglutide; Exenatide ER; Lixisenatide; Semaglutide