Pharmaceutical Business review

Novo Nordisk plans to launch new liraglutide obesity drug in US next year

Novo chief scientific officer Mads Thomsen was quoted by health24.com as saying that liraglutide treatment was likely to be launched in the US at the end of next year or the start of 2015.

During a final stage clinical trial of the drug, patients treated with 3mg of liraglutide showed an average 8% weight loss, according to the company.

Sold under the brand name Victoza, 3mg of liraglutide is used to treat type-2 diabetes.

The new obesity drug treatment is expected to cost around $25 on a daily basis, and could be a treatment for a life time.

The company is hoping that the obesity treatment would fill the gap in the delay to its next generation insulin treatment Tresiba, which is set to undergo further testing on request from the US regulators.