European regulatory approval has been granted to GlaxoSmithKline's albiglutide treatment for type two diabetes. GSK expects to launch albiglutide, which is branded Eperzan and is still underdoing its US approval process, in several countries in Europe in the second half of the year, with additional launches to follow thereafter.Vlad Hogenhuis, Senior Vice-President and Head of GSK's Global Cardiovascular, Metabolic and Neurosciences fanchise, said: "Diabetes treatment can be challenging for healthcare professionals and patients, often involving complex daily regimens, with almost 50% of patients failing to meet their blood glucose targets. "The authorisation of albiglutide means that healthcare professionals and patients will have access to a new once-weekly treatment option that has shown effective blood glucose lowering with durable control and is generally well tolerated."A glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, albiglutide is a biological product for the treatment of type two diabetes, administered once-weekly using an injector pen and supplied with a short (5mm) thin-wall needle. GLP-1 is an important incretin hormone that helps normalise blood glucose levels but, in people with type two diabetes, its production is reduced or absent. OH