COPENHAGEN, April 6 (Reuters) – Danish Novo Nordisk
, the world’s biggest insulin producer, said on Friday
it had received a product label update for diabetes drug Victoza
to include data showing superior efficacy when compared with
rival drug Januvia from Merck.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would update the
product label for Victoza to include data showing superior blood
sugar control and weight reduction when compared with Januvia,
Novo Nordisk said in a statement.
The label update from the U.S. FDA included approval of
combination therapy with basal insulin for the treatment of
adults with type 2 diabetes, Novo Nordisk said.
“The data from these studies further demonstrate the strong
clinical profile and the value of Victoza in the treatment of
type 2 diabetes,” said chief science officer Mads Krogsgaard
Thomsen in the statement.
From a 26-week open label clinical trial, data showed
patients treated with 1.2 mg and 1.8 mg of Victoza experienced
greater reductions in blood sugar than those treated with
Januvia 100 mg tablets, Novo Nordisk said in the statement.
“Victoza furthermore provided greater weight loss versus
patients treated with Januvia,” the company said.
