The company says its investigational oral therapy could address persistent low-blood-sugar risks as the CATT1 trial moves towards top-line results expected in mid-2027.
vTv Therapeutics used a virtual event on 20 October to argue that low blood sugar remains one of the most persistent problems in type 1 diabetes, even as glucose monitors, insulin pumps and automated delivery systems become more common. According to the company and MarketBeat’s report on the event, the discussion was designed to bring together clinical, patient and commercial views of cadisegliatin, the firm’s investigational oral therapy, as the drug advances through its Phase III CATT1 study, with top-line results now expected in mid-2027.
The medical case presented at the event was that technology has improved day-to-day diabetes management without removing the danger of hypoglycaemia. Schafer Boeder, medical director of Paradigm Clinical Research and an associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, said type 1 diabetes affects about 2.1 million people in the US and roughly 9.5 million worldwide. He said insulin delivered under the skin does not mirror the body’s natural release pattern, which can leave patients vulnerable to low blood glucose even when they are using advanced devices. Boeder cited T1D Exchange data showing that 34% of adults with type 1 diabetes who were not using continuous glucose monitoring reported at least one severe hypoglycaemic episode in the previous year, compared with 18% of users of the technology.
Boeder also referred to a 2025 online survey of 674 US adults with type 1 diabetes sponsored by vTv and conducted by dQ&A. He said nearly two-thirds of respondents used automated insulin delivery and almost all used continuous glucose monitoring, yet 65% still reported at least one clinically meaningful burden linked to hypoglycaemia, including frequent low-glucose episodes, a recent severe event, impaired awareness or behaviour shaped by fear of lows. Cellist Alisa Weilerstein, who has lived with type 1 diabetes since childhood, added a patient perspective, saying the condition requires constant planning around food, travel, work and exercise. She said the risk of hypoglycaemia is especially serious in performance settings, where low blood sugar can affect coordination and judgement.
vTv also sought to show that the commercial opportunity is tied not just to glucose numbers but to the daily anxiety that surrounds them. Martin Lafontaine, the company’s chief commercial officer, said its survey of more than 700 US adults found that 88% strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement, “I hate having low blood glucose.” He said the concern was particularly pronounced among respondents with HbA1c above 7%, many of whom said they keep their blood sugar higher than they otherwise would to avoid lows. Looking at physician sentiment, Lafontaine said 85% of US endocrinologists surveyed viewed the short-term risk of hypoglycaemia as at least as important as, or more important than, the longer-term risk of hyperglycaemia for most of their type 1 diabetes patients.
On the drug-development side, Klara Klein, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, described cadisegliatin, formerly known as TTP399, as a small-molecule glucokinase activator designed to work selectively in the liver rather than the pancreatic beta cells. She said earlier testing in the SimpliciT1 study suggested the drug was generally well tolerated and pointed to lower HbA1c readings and fewer hypoglycaemia events in post-hoc analysis, without signs of increased ketosis in a separate insulin-withdrawal study. Klein said the Phase III CATT1 trial has enrolled 166 participants, surpassing its target of 150, and is testing once-daily and twice-daily dosing against placebo alongside insulin. Thomas Strack, vTv’s chief medical officer, said the study was built to detect a 30% reduction in hypoglycaemia over six months while also showing at least non-inferiority on HbA1c. Paul Sekhri, vTv’s chairman, president and chief executive, said the company held $86.6 million in cash at the end of the second quarter, which he said should fund operations well beyond the expected readout, and said cadisegliatin has received FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
