Novartis' Galvus improves glucose control in elderly

Swiss drug major Novartis presented data at the 19th world congress of the International Diabetes Federation, held in Cape Town, South Africa, showing that its dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor Galvus (vildagliptin) significantly reduced blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes patients aged 65 and older - a growing group of sufferers with this progressive disease who can be difficult to treat with existing oral therapies.

Also at the IDF meeting, Novartis presented pooled analyses from a number of Phase III studies showing significant improvements in blood sugar control among patients in this age group when treated with Galvus without the increased risk of side effects that often limits more aggressive treatment.

Novartis noted that data presented in Cape Town clearly demonstrate the efficacy of once-daily dosing for Galvus monotherapy. Findings from a number of Phase III trials lasting from 12 to 52 weeks in patients taking 100mg of Galvus daily showed overall blood sugar reductions of 1% in HbA1C and up to 1.8% in those with the highest baseline blood sugar levels.