Liraglutide gives better control than Lantus

Shares in Novo Nordisk jumped 5.9% to $106.98 on June 21 after the Danish diabetes specialist reported strong late-stage study data on its investigational drug liraglutide. In the Phase III trial, the once-daily GLP-1 analog, given in combination with metformin and glimepiride, lowered HbA1c more than 0.2 percentage points more than the a regimen containing Sanofi-Aventis' Lantus (insulin glargine).

The 26-week study is part of the LEAD program and included 581 patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled by metformin and glimepiride, two of the most widely-used oral antidiabetics. The average HbA1c level at the beginning of the study was between 8.0% and 8.5% and, at the end of the trial, more than 50% of patients in the liraglutide group had reached the American Diabetes Association goal of HbA1c less than 7%, Novo noted.