Novo Nordisk’s Liraglutide To Reduce Blood Sugar, Weight

Published: 07-Jun-2009

Liraglutide to treat type 2 diabetes

Novo Nordisk has reported that once-daily liraglutide, taken as monotherapy, leads to statistically significant and sustained reductions in blood sugar and weight, after two years of treatment.

In the study, 58% of patients treated with liraglutide 1.8mg once daily reached and maintained the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) blood sugar target of A1C less than 7%, versus 37% of patients treated with glimepiride 8mg once daily.

Dr. Alan Garber, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, said, The fact that liraglutide continues to effectively lower blood sugar after two years of treatment is consistent with its other long-term clinical benefits such as continued reductions in fasting blood sugar and weight.

Even with available treatments, many type 2 diabetes patients still struggle to control their blood sugar, while losing weight. Liraglutide represents an important advance for these patients, he added.

The Lead extension study also documented that treatment with liraglutide leads to early and lasting weight loss. After two years of treatment with 1.8mg of liraglutide, mean body weight decreased significantly (-2.7 kg) compared to overall weight increase in the glimepiride group (+1.1 kg).

Hypoglycemia is a condition where blood sugar levels become too low. Minor hypoglycemia was more than six times less frequent in the liraglutide treatment groups compared with the glimepiride group.

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