GlaxoSmithKline's albiglutide fails to show superiority over Novo Nordisk's Victoza

18 November 2011

UK pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) released disappointing top-line results from the first of eight Phase III studies of albiglutide to complete in type 2 diabetes (dubbed Harmony 7) comparing its drug with Danish firm Novo Nordisk’s (NVO: N) already marketed Victoza (liraglutide).

Albiglutide was created by Human Genome Sciences (Nasdaq: HGSI) using its proprietary albumin-fusion technology and licensed to GSK in 2004. HGS is entitled to fees and milestone payments that could amount to as much as $183 million, in addition to single-digit royalties on worldwide sales if the drug is commercialized.

Harmony 7 is a head-to-head study designed to compare albiglutide, an investigational once weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist, to once-a-day liraglutide, an approved treatment for type 2 diabetes, in the same class. The primary endpoint of the study was reduction in HbA1c, a marker of the amount of glucose in the blood.

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