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The clinical course of type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterised by a progressive decline in β-cell mass.The changing β-cell mass reflects a shifting balance between β-cell neogenesis, islet neogenesis and β-cell apoptosis. In persons with diabetes, administration of exogenous glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) improves glucose sensitivity and insulin synthesis and may help increase β cellmass. As the effects of GLP-1 on the β cell are becoming better understood at both the molecular and cellular levels, it has become possible to develop therapies with the potential to harness and sustain the positive effects of endogenous GLP-1 in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Data from in vitro,preclinical and phase II studies show promising results with GLP-1 analogues in improving β-cell function in patients with type 2 diabetes. For example, in vitro models have shown the GLP-1 analogue liraglutide inhibits β-cell apoptosis in isolated neonatal rat islets. In vitro, animal models demonstrate increasing β-cell mass with liraglutide administration. Results from a recently completed phase II clinical trial with liraglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes demonstrate that daily treatment markedly improves β-cell function as shown by an increased first-phase insulin response and secretory capacity and a decreased proinsulin:insulin ratio. Now, phase III trials continue to bear out the potential for liraglutide for treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes.