JEIL PHARMACEUTICAL(271980)'s oral drug under development, the type 2 diabetes treatment candidate "JP-2266," showed blood sugar improvement in phase 2. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease in which insulin, which lowers blood sugar levels, is not properly secreted or does not work.
JEIL PHARMACEUTICAL said on the 30th that a paper with the phase 2 results for JP-2266 (SGLT-1/SGLT-2 inhibitor) was published in Diabetes & Metabolism Journal (DMJ), an international journal in diabetes and metabolic diseases.
JP-2266 is a candidate that simultaneously inhibits SGLT-2, which blocks glucose reabsorption in the kidneys, and SGLT-1, which slows glucose absorption in the intestines.
The trial was conducted from Dec. 2023 to Dec. 2024 at 28 medical institutions in Korea with 156 patients in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design.
Results showed that, after 12 weeks, the JP-2266 groups had a significant reduction in HbA1c versus placebo. The estimated treatment difference (ETD) versus placebo was -0.94 percentage point in the 5 mg group and -0.97 percentage point in the 10 mg group. The rate of achieving HbA1c below 7.0% was 70.6% in the 10 mg group and 66.7% in the 5 mg group.
Two-hour postprandial glucose decreased by about 63–68 mg/dL, and weight loss was observed in patients with a mean BMI of 26.0. A reduction in systolic blood pressure was also confirmed in the 10 mg group. In safety assessments, both doses showed adverse event rates similar to the placebo group, and most were mild or moderate.
Cha Bong-su, a professor of endocrinology at Severance Hospital of Yonsei University, said, "Inhibiting SGLT-1 to delay intestinal glucose absorption is the mechanistic feature that differentiates this drug from existing SGLT-2 inhibitors," adding, "It could be a meaningful treatment option for Asian patients for whom postprandial glucose control is important."
Cha added, "Because these results are based on a phase 2 study, phase 3 trials are needed to further confirm efficacy and safety."
A JEIL PHARMACEUTICAL official said, "JP-2266 is a candidate that has shown potential to improve not only blood sugar control but also weight and metabolic risk factors," adding, "We plan to continue development as a next-generation diabetes treatment."
References
DMJ (2026), DOI: https://doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2025.1152