Victoza beats Lixisenatide in Diabetes Trial

Novo-Nordisk’s diabetes drug Victoza beat Sanofi’s lixisenatide in a head-to-head trial of the two GLP-1 agonists, the company claims.

Conducted over 26 weeks, the trial met the primary endpoint by showing a drop in glycated hemoglobin, a measure of average blood sugar used to monitor diabetes control. Novo-Nordisk’s Victoza (liraglutide) reduced the levels in the group of 404 adults with type 2 diabetes by 1.83 percent, compared with 1.2 percent for Lyxumia (lixisenatide). Metformin was continued with both medications.

The study, presented last week at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Sweden, also showed superiority in the decrease of fasting plasma glucose and the number of patients on Victoza reaching HbA1 targets under 7 percent. Almost three-quarters of patients saw glucose levels reach that level on Victoza (74.2 percent) compared with 45.5 percent on lixisenatide.

The two drugs were comparable in safety, the company reported, with gastrointestinal reactions including nausea and diarrhea most likely, and no serious hypoglycemic events were reported.

Lyxumia combined with insulin glargine proved effective in reducing blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetes patients in two key Phase 3 trials, with the most recent results announced earlier this week.  — Victoria Pelham