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Novo Nordisk type 2 diabetes combo drug tops Sanofi's Lantus -study

By Bill Berkrot

June 7 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk's IDegLira combination drug for type 2 diabetes led to significant reductions in blood sugar, weight and rate of hypoglycemia compared with Sanofi's top-selling Lantus insulin product, according to data from a late-stage trial presented at a medical meeting on Sunday.

The Novo drug, given by once-daily injection, combines its experimental long-acting insulin degludec with liraglutide, a type 2 diabetes treatment sold under the brand name Victoza that was recently approved under another name for weight loss.

IDegLira could give doctors an attractive alternative to raising insulin doses in patients who require additional treatment to get blood sugar levels to the target recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

"The results demonstrated that IDegLira treatment could positively impact patients who are not in control on their current basal insulin therapy," Professor John Buse, the study's lead investigator, said in a statement.

The combination treatment was recently approved in Europe as Xultophy, but the Danish drugmaker cannot apply to sell it in the United States until the insulin degludec component is independently approved. That drug is in the midst of a large study designed to clear it of heart safety concerns.

In the 26-week, 557-patient phase III study presented at the ADA meeting in Boston, those who received IDegLira on average saw A1c levels, a common measure of blood sugar over time, reduced by 1.8 percent versus a drop of 1.1 percent for those who increased their dose of Lantus, also known as insulin glargine.

Seventy-two percent of IDegLira patients achieved the ADA target A1c level of below 7 percent compared with 47 percent in the Lantus group. There was a 57 percent lower rate of hypoglycemia, or potentially dangerously low blood sugar, observed with the Novo medicine.

In addition, the liraglutide component of Novo's combination appears to more than offset the weight gain commonly seen with insulin. IDegLira patients lost an average of 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms) versus a weight gain of 4 pounds (1.8kg) in the Lantus group.

Weight loss is a particularly attractive benefit as obesity is a leading cause of type 2 diabetes.

Nearly 400 million people worldwide have diabetes, with type 2 accounting for more than 90 percent. Without proper treatment or lifestyle changes, those numbers are expected to grow substantially in coming years.

(Reporting by Bill Berkrot; Editing by James Dalgleish)

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