Positive new data on diabetes drugs from Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca/B-MS and Sanofi-Aventis presented at EASD meeting

The European Association for the Study of Diabetes heard presentations on progress with Danish insulin major Novo Nordisk’s (NVO.N) Victoza (liraglutide), UK-based AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) and US firm Bristol-Myers’s Squibb’s (NYSE: BMY) investigational compound dapagliflozin and French drug major Sanofi-Aventis’ (Euronext: SAN) lixisenatide.

New Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) data presented yesterday at the EASD congress taking place in Stockholm, Sweden, challenge the widespread perception that patients prefer oral to injected glucose-lowering therapies. Results from the 26-week, open-label study show that patients taking Novo Nordisk’s injectable Victoza (1.8mg) reported significantly higher overall treatment satisfaction after 26 weeks than those receiving oral Januvia (sitagliptin) (scores of 4.35 versus 2.96 respectively, p=0.03).1 Notably, patients rated Victoza 1.8mg as convenient as Januvia and were more likely both to continue treatment themselves, and to recommend Victoza to another patient.

Good weight-loss profile for Victoza