Two new phase 3 studies published in The Lancet show that ultra long acting insulin, Degludec, an investigational compound from Novo Nordisk, significantly reduces the rates of nocturnal hypoglycemia by 25%, compared to insulin glargine. The two studies included in total 1,635 participants and investigated insulin degludec compared to insulin glargine in a basal-bolus regimen in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Both studies were ‘treat-to-target’ studies, meaning patient insulin doses were adjusted systematically to allow...

Novo Nordisk’s Levemir (insulin detemir) has been classified as Category B for pregnant women. “This is the most thrilling news since the discovery of insulin,” says Dr. Lois Jovanovic, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of the Sansum Diabetes Research Institute and world-renowned expert in diabetes and pregnancy. “I am thrilled.” Given that Dr. Jovanovic is so unequivocally positive, the news deserves a bit more explanation for those of us who aren’t experts and aren’t pregnant. Levemir is the first long-acting insulin...

The U.S. FDA has approved Novo Nordisk’s Levemir insulin (insulin detemir [rDNA origin] injection) for use by pregnant women with diabetes, giving it a Category B classification, indicating that it does not increase the risk of harm to the unborn baby. The label update makes Levemir the first and only basal insulin analog to have this classification. Until this decision, NPH (human insulin) was considered the standard of care for pregnant woman with diabetes. Now, Novo Nordisk is the only company that offers a complete portfolio...

Americans love Paula Deen, and they love her recipes.  That’s why Novo Nordisk, one of the world’s largest makers of diabetes treatments, thought she’d be the perfect person to reach the tens of millions of diabetics and pre-diabetics in southern and middle America – where her recipes are widely popular – and teach them how to prepare healthier meals. Novo Nordisk didn’t know it when they approached Paula, but it turned out that Paula was, in fact, one of those millions of diabetics they were trying...

The blogosphere was thrumming about whether the Food Network’s down-home Southern queen, Paula Deen, has Type 2 diabetes. Yes, by now you know she does. It doesn’t bother me that she kept it “close to my chest” as she announced on the Today Show to Al Roker. She said she didn’t want to talk about it until she had something to offer her public. So I’m left to wonder, did the three years it took Deen to come clean mean she waited until she could help others by being spokesperson for a new Novo...

Victoza (liraglutide) is by far Novo Nordisk’s fastest growing diabetes drug with a reported 185% growth in the first nine months of 2011. Introduced in Europe during the last quarter of 2009 and during the first quarter of 2010 in the US, Victoza quickly gained considerable market share with over 400 million dollars in sales in 2010 and over 670 million dollars in sales during the first nine months of 2011. If those figures aren’t enough to impress you, Victoza’s future looks even brighter now with its new celebrity...

After days of rumors regarding Paula Deen’s diabetes diagnosis, the woman dubbed the Queen of Southern Cuisine has announced that she and her sons have partnered up with Novo Nordisk to launch Diabetes in a New Light™, a national initiative to help adults find simple ways to manage everyday challenges associated with type 2 diabetes. As part of the launch Paula Deen is sharing sharing her personal diabetes story for the first time including the fact that she is being treated with Novo Nordisk’s type 2 diabetes...

A study released by Novo Nordisk at the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) 21st World Diabetes Congress in Dubai has found that the combination insulin degludec/insulin aspart, currently being developed, significantly reduced hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes patients.  In the study, insulin degludec/insulin aspart reduced the overall occurrence of hypoglycemia during the day as well as at night (occurring between 23:00 and 05:59). The study found that type 2 diabetes patients using Insulin degludec/insulin...

Data from the A1chieve® study, evaluating adverse events and effectiveness of Novo Nordisk insulins (NovoMix 30, Levemir and NovoRapid) in 66,726 people with type 2 diabetes, shows that type 2 diabetes patients can significantly improve their blood glucose control with a low occurrence of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). The study showed that before treatment with a Novo Nordisk insulin analog was initiated, the average blood glucose control (HbA1c) among the 66,726 study participants was 9.5%, which is well above the internationally...

I’m going to be upfront about it: the news that Novo Nordisk was seeking FDA approval for Degludec, their most advanced long-acting insulin, did not grab my attention.  Don’t get me wrong—the insulin is impressive in its claims: clinical trial results show that it lasts longer than 24 hours; can be administered at any time during the day; is less likely to cause hypoglycemia, especially at night; and is non-inferior at helping patients achieve their target HbA1c goals. Those are not small potatoes, especially when you consider...