New data presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) show that the majority of type 2 diabetes patients receiving the recently launched Tresiba (insulin degludec) plus metformin were able to maintain good glycemic control for 2.5 years.Specifically, 80.5 percent of those patients who were in good glycemic control after two years with Tresiba plus metformin maintained HbA1c below 7 percent when continuing treatment with Tresiba and metformin only, in a further 26-week add-on study. The data also confirm the durability and efficacy of the long-acting basal insulin Tresiba, developed by Novo Nordisk, and furthermore demonstrates that the addition of Victoza (liraglutide) is highly effective in helping patients achieve their glycemic targets.
The 26-week add-on study recruited patients who had already been receiving Tresiba once-daily plus metformin for two years, through the one-year BEGIN ONCE LONG trial plus a year-long extension. Patients were then directed into one of three trial arms: patients with HbA1c below 7 percent continued on the same treatment regimen (once-daily Tresiba plus metformin), patients with HbA1c above 7 percent were randomized to receive, in addition to once-daily Tresiba plus metformin, either once-daily Victoza or once-daily NovoRapid (insulin aspart) with the largest meal of the day.
“After two years, over 50 percent of patients receiving Tresiba plus metformin had maintained an HbA1c below 7 percent. These patients remained on their treatment regimen for another 26 weeks, after which three out of five patients still maintained good glycemic control without overall confirmed hypoglycemia. These results demonstrate that Tresiba enables patients with type 2 diabetes to sustain long-term control,” said lead study investigator Professor Chantal Mathieu, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium.
Date: September 24, 2013
Source: Novo Nordisk
