Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug “significantly reduced’ cardiovascular risk
pharmafile | September 16, 2016 | News story | Medical Communications | Novo Nordisk, diabetes, semaglutide
Novo Nordisk has announced that its diabetes drug semaglutide “significantly reduced” the risk of major cardiovascular events at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2016.
SUSTAIN 6, a 3,297-participant study, found that, administered once weekly, the investigational glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue reduced the risk of either cardiovascular (CV) death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (heart attack) or non-fatal stroke by 26% compared to placebo when added to standard of care. There was also a 39% decrease in non-fatal stroke and a 26% decrease in non-fatal myocardial infarction and a neutral outcome (2% decrease) in CV death after two years of treatment.
However, the study also found that the drug caused an increase in gastrointestinal events and even an “unexpected higher rate” of retinopathy complications such as blindness.
“The reduction in cardiovascular events observed with semaglutide in SUSTAIN 6 is notable given the small study population and the short trial duration,” said Dr Steven Marso, SUSTAIN 6 investigator and the lead author for the New England Journal of Medicine publication of SUSTAIN6. “These findings are clinically relevant, as cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in people with type 2 diabetes and new treatment options that can also reduce the risk of cardiovascular events are needed.”
Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, executive vice president and chief science officer of Novo Nordisk added: “The SUSTAIN 6 results further strengthen the clinical evidence for the Novo Nordisk GLP-1 receptor agonist portfolio with the finding of additional benefits beyond glycaemic control and weight loss in adults with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk.”
The company intends to file for regulatory approval in the US and Europe in the last quarter of this year, with analysts predicting annual sales of the drug could reach $2.2 billion in 2022.
Matt Fellows
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