new drug to control sugars for type 2

October 13, 2011

w%3D%3D> news

w%3D%3D> Novo Says Early Use of Victoza Aids Type 2 Control

News from Danish pharmaceutical manufacturer Novo Nordisk reinforces the

growing trend toward using a two-drug combination in the early treatment of

type 2 diabetes. (See " A Conversation About Janumet and Earlier Combination

Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes " for more discussion about this phenomenon.) In

a study it released in Lisbon, Portugal, at the recent meeting of the

European Association for the Study of Diabetes, Novo said that combining its

recently released drug VictozaR (liraglutide) with another drug early in

therapy helps recently diagnosed type 2s achieve greater blood glucose

control than they can with a single drug.

Typically, newly diagnosed type 2s begin with a single drug to control their

blood glucose-usually a sulfonylurea or metformin. Both types of drugs are

inexpensive and have been staples of the diabetes drug arsenal for decades.

(Sulfonylureas increase insulin production. Metformin suppresses glucose

production in the liver.)

Victoza, an injectible drug approved for US sale in early 2010, is a

long-acting glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) analog that stimulates increased

insulin production when blood glucose levels are higher than normal. Unlike

its naturally occurring counterpart, the drug remains stable for hours at a

time, which means that it can be delivered on a once-daily basis. The drug's

other beneficial effects include greater appetite suppression and body

weight maintenance capability than sulfonylureas, as well as the ability to

lower triglyceride levels. Read

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