Health Canada is informing Canadians that Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. has agreed to voluntarily recall two lots (YW60335 and YW60351) of their product, GlucaGen Hypokit (DIN 02333627) currently available on the Canadian market. Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. is requesting that wholesalers, pharmacies and hospitals immediately stop sale and recall the affected lots. Health Canada reminds Canadians who have concerns about these products to consult with their health care practitioners or contact Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. at 1-800-465-4334. Source:...

Novo Nordisk announced today the availability of NovoDoseTM – the first-ever mobile insulin dosing guide for physicians to look up dosing guidelines and blood glucose goals for their patients with diabetes, a disease that affects nearly 24 million Americans. The guide is available as an application on iTunes and is specific to Novo Nordisk’s modern insulin analog portfolio: Levemir® (insulin detemir [rDNA origin] injection), NovoLog® (insulin aspart [rDNA origin] injection), and NovoLog® Mix 70/30 (70% insulin aspart...

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, the world’s top producer of insulin, spent $375,000 lobbying the U.S. government in the second quarter of 2010 on several diabetes-related issues, among other topics, according to a Bloomberg report The amount marks a 13 percent reduction from $430,000 during the same period last year and a reduction from $540,000 during the first quarter of 2010. For the full story go to Bloomberg Businessweek.

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...

Novo Nordisk, a world leader in diabetes care, and Indy Lights race car driver Charlie Kimball announced the availability of a wide array of resources to help kids with diabetes have a positive and rewarding summer camp experience.  Kimball, who has type 1 diabetes, will hand out one of these resources today to attendees at the Children with Diabetes Friends for Life Conference, which is taking place this week in Orlando. The kits, which come as a backpack filled with camp essentials such as a sleeping bag, fan, flashlight...

Novo Nordisk announced results of its STEPwise™ trial, which identified a method of intensifying insulin treatment with NovoLog® (insulin aspart [rDNA origin] injection). The study, presented at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 2010 Scientific Sessions, demonstrated a reduction of A1c levels in type 2 diabetes patients when a dose of NovoLog® was introduced at meals, using two approaches that start with the largest meal of the day, in addition to once-daily Levemir® (insulin detemir [rDNA origin] injection) plus...

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...

According to a Novo Nordisk press release the company presented phase 2 proof-of-concept data for its investigational insulin degludec, an ultra-long-acting basal insulin, which demonstrated the potential to help achieve target glycemic control when used once daily or three times weekly. These data were presented at the 70th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in Orlando FL. These phase 2 studies showed that insulin degludec helped improve glucose control. In one study, after 16 weeks of treatment...

Novo Nordisk today announced the decision to re-initiate the global phase 3 development program of liraglutide for the treatment of obesity. Following the US approval of Victoza for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, Novo Nordisk has been in dialogue with the FDA regarding the further progression of the development program investigating the potential of liraglutide within obesity. Based on the feedback from the FDA, Novo Nordisk now plans to re-initiate the global phase 3 program in the first half of 2011 in clinical trials comprising...

Novo Nordisk announced that it has received approval for the price of Victoza, a once-daily human GLP-1 analogue for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, from Japan’s Central Social Insurance Medical Council (Chuikyo), the advisory committee to the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare. The price approval allows Novo Nordisk to commercially launch in Japan shortly after Victoza is officially posted on Japan’s National Health Insurance price list on June 11th. Victoza was approved by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare...