Novo Nordisk gets positive opinion for Saxenda from EMA’s CHMP

Danish diabetes care giant Novo Nordisk (NOV: N) revealed yesterday that the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion for the use of Saxenda (liraglutide 3mg) for the treatment of obesity.

Saxenda is a once-daily glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue, with 97% homology to naturally occurring human GLP-1, a hormone involved in appetite regulation. At a different dose, liraglutide is the active ingredient of Novo Nordisk’s already blockbuster diabetes drug Victoza. The US Food and Drug Administration approved Saxenda last month.

Sales projections

Earlier in the drug’s obesity development, analysts estimated that Saxenda could produce $1 billion revenues for the obesity indication. However, Sydbank analyst Soren Hansen said last October that he expected Saxenda to generate peak worldwide sales of 13 billion Danish kroner (~$2.0 billion) in 2024.