Novo Nordisk to trial diabetes drug in Alzheimer's

Danish diabetes care giant Novo Nordisk (NOV: N) said today that it will enter Phase III development in Alzheimer’s disease with oral semaglutide, a once-daily oral formulation of the long-acting GLP-1 analogue semaglutide.

The decision follows evaluation of GLP-1 data from pre-clinical models, real-world evidence studies, post-hoc analysis of data from large cardiovascular outcomes trials, as well as discussions with regulatory authorities.

Novo Nordisk intends to initiate a pivotal Phase IIIa program with around 3,700 people with early Alzheimer’s disease. The program is planned for initiation in the first half of 2021 and will investigate the efficacy and safety of once-daily oral semaglutide, compared to placebo. The expected main treatment period in the trials is around two years.