A head-to-head study pitting an implantable exenatide-filled osmotic pump developed by Intarcia Therapeutics Inc. against the blockbuster Januvia (sitagliptin, Merck & Co. Inc.) over a year of type 2 diabetes treatment proved the pump superior in reducing HbA1c levels and producing weight loss according to top-line data from the latest of several phase III studies the company has run, positioning Intarcia to file applications seeking approval of the drug-device combination, called ITCA-650, in the first half of 2016.