Novo Says Repaglinide Will Debut In Spring

Novo Nordisk of Denmark has been granted approval to market its noveltype 2 diabetes drug Prandin (repaglinide) in the USA within the six-month schedule for fast-track review.

Repaglinide is the first in a completely new class of antidiabetic drugs, the meglitinides. It is a benzoic acid derivative, acting via calcium channels to stimulate insulin secretion from beta cells and reduce post-prandial glucose levels. It was developed by Novo in collaboration with Boehringer Mannheim.

Unlike other oral hypoglycemic agents, repaglinide has a short half-life, so is theoretically less likely to cause hypoglycemic episodes, although this has not yet been demonstrated clinically as Novo's trials of the agents, involving 2,200 patients had a very low rate of these episodes, both for repaglinide and comparator sulfonylureas. Other key benefits are that patients need only remember to take one tablet before a meal, and minimal renal excretion, which may be important for patients (eg the elderly) who often suffer from decreased kidney function.