The FDA has approved a new treatment for type 2 diabetes that combines the glucose-lowering medication sitagliptin, the active component of JANUVIA, with the cholesterol-lowering medication ZOCOR (simvastatin). The new drug, produced by Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, will be marketed under the brand name JUVISYNC™. JUVISYNC is the first treatment option for healthcare providers to help patients who need the blood sugar-lowering benefits of a DPP-4 inhibitor and the cholesterol-lowering benefits...

New data presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) shows a significantly higher proportion of patients reached target HbA1c levels of  <7% when Victoza (liraglutide [rDNA origin] injection) was administrated early in the treatment of type 2 diabetes to patients who had not received treatment before or had previously received only one oral anti-diabetic drug (OAD). Findings also suggest early use with Victoza provides greater clinical benefit and potential improvement in beta-cell function, as compared...

New data from two extension studies presented by Novo Nordisk at the 71st Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) show that Victoza (liraglutide [rDNA origin] injection), taken once-daily, in combination with metformin and/or sulfonylurea, helped patients achieve blood sugar control after switching from other commonly used type 2 diabetes therapies Byetta (exenatide) and Januvia (sitagliptin). Although not a weight loss product, the data also demonstrate that patients experienced weight loss when...

New Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) data presented by today at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) congress in Stockholm challenge the widespread perception that patients prefer oral to injected glucose-lowering therapies. Results from the 26-week, open-label study show that patients taking injectable Victoza (liraglutide 1.8 mg) reported significantly higher overall treatment satisfaction after 26 weeks than those receiving oral Januvia (sitagliptin). Notably, patients rated Victoza 1.8 mg as convenient...

Among the interesting studies announced at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions 2010 was a head-to-head comparison of two new incretin-based drugs for type 2 diabetics.  The full, one-year data presented at the meeting showed that Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 analog Victoza outperformed Merck & Co’s DPP-4 inhibitor Januvia.  These findings were consistent with the 26-week results of this trial which were featured earlier this year in The Lancet. Given these promising results, I was pleased to be able to...

Late-breaking Novo Nordisk extension data presented at the 70th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) showed that once-daily Victoza in combination with metformin produced sustained and significantly greater reductions in A1c, body weight and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) than Januvia plus metformin at 52 weeks. The study found that patients treated with 1.2 mg and 1.8 mg of Victoza experienced greater reductions in A1c than those treated with Januvia 100 mg (-1.3% and -1.5% versus -0.9%). Victoza...

Novo Nordisk’s new diabetes drug Victoza proved more effective than Merck & Co’s Januvia in a head-to-head study published, in the Lancet. The 26-week trial showed that Victoza produced significantly greater reductions in HbA1C, fasting plasma glucose and body weight than Januvia, with similar or better overall treatment satisfaction. According to a Novo Nordisk announcement significantly more patients achieved the HbA1c targets of <7·0% (American Diabetes Association [ADA]). Nearly twice as many study...

Show Background Information Does it makes sense for my Endocrinologist to suddenly change my medication regimen with the success I was having (A1C 6.7 and trending down)? He wants me to not take Januvia anymore — so I stopped this morning. Lo and behold, my BGL is through the roof (160-240) today. He wants me to increase my Lantus and try to manage by increasing my dosage of that. Is that typical – preferred treatment using insulin?

The Swiss -based pharmaceuticals and diagnostics company Roche Holding AG announced headline results from the second and third of eight T-emerge Phase III studies for taspoglutide. Taspoglutide is the first once-weekly human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue being developed to address the important unmet needs of patients with type 2 diabetes. Taspoglutide is similar to the naturally occurring human hormone GLP-1 which plays a key role in blood glucose modulation while slowing down food absorption and suppressing appetite,...

According to Diabetes UK the European Commission has approved Sitagliptin ,known as Januvia, as an add-on to insulin (with or without metformin) for people with type 2 diabetes. Most type 2 diabetics can control their condition with a combination of diet, physical activity and conventional medication. Januvia was approved by the FDA in 2006 and has shown good results in type 2 diabetics. Januvia is an oral medication for management of type 2 diabetes only. It’s the first in a class of drugs called DPP-4 inhibitors. Januvia...