No weight gain for "majority" on Levemir

Danish insulin giant Novo Nordisk says that new data published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice from its large-scale, observational PREDICTIVE study confirm that its long-acting basal insulin, Levemir (insulin detemir [rDNA origin] injection) effectively treats diabetes without causing weight gain for the majority of people.

In the European cohort of the PREDICTIVE trial, a total of 20,531 people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes from 11 countries were prescribed the agent and followed up after 14 weeks. At this time, there was not only an improvement in patients' average blood glucose levels, but also a decrease in their average body weight. This applied to people with type 1 as well as type 2 diabetes, Novo noted.

David Russell-Jones, of the department of diabetes and endocrinology at the Royal Surrey County Hospital, Surrey, UK, said that "insulin initiation is often associated with considerable weight gain, which is a major problem for people with type 2 diabetes. The reduced risk of weight gain that Levemir offers potentially provides people with diabetes an enhanced treatment option." The risk of weight gain may stop the initiation of insulin therapy, Novo noted.