Novo Nordisk reports results from first Phase IIIa trial of type 2 diabetes drug semaglutide

Around 388 people with type 2 diabetes previously on diet and exercise were included in the trial, which evaluated the efficacy and safety of 0.5mg and 1.0mg semaglutide as monotherapy during 30 weeks of treatment compared with placebo.

The trial achieved its primary objective by showing that from a mean baseline HbA1c of 8.1%, people treated with doses of 0.5mg and 1.0mg semaglutide, achieved superior improvements in HbA1c of 1.5% and 1.6%, respectively, compared to no change in HbA1c in the placebo group.

The company noted that 74% and 73% of the people treated with 0.5mg and 1.0mg semaglutide, respectively, achieved the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) treatment target of HbA1c below 7% compared with 25% of the people treated with placebo.

Novo Nordisk executive vice-president and chief science officer Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen said: "We are excited about these results, which confirm that semaglutide has the potential to help people with type 2 diabetes achieve both good glycaemic control and a significant weight loss with one weekly injection.

"We look forward to further results from the Sustain clinical development program."

The Sustain program is a Phase III clinical program comprising six global trials of semaglutide administered once-weekly encompassing more than 7,000 people with type 2 diabetes.

The company intends to report headline results of the five remaining Sustain trials within the next nine months.