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 Ryzodeg combines Tresiba, Novo Nordisk's great hope for future
growth, with insulin aspart, a man-made form of insulin, also known
as NovoRapid, in a single pen injector.
Novo Nordisk, the world's biggest insulin maker, has launched
Ryzodeg commercially in Mexico. Analysts have estimated it has
blockbuster potential which could mean sales in the billions of
dollars in years to come.
The study, unveiled at a meeting of the European Association for the
Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna on Thursday, compared Ryzodeg
with basal-bolus treatment, which in this case was Novo's Tresiba
and two to four injections of Novo's NovoRapid.
After 26 weeks, both patient groups achieved good blood sugar
control but the group taking Ryzodeg needed fewer injections and had
fewer incidents of dangerously low sugar levels.
The basal-bolus regimen for treating type 2 diabetes involves taking
a longer-acting form of insulin to keep blood sugar levels stable
through periods of fasting and separate injections of shorter-acting
mealtime insulin to prevent rises in blood sugar levels.
"Patients currently using basal-bolus regimens may need to take up
to four daily injections, which can be a great burden and very
inconvenient," Dr Helena Rodbard, the study's lead investigator and
endocrinologist in Rockville, MD, USA, said.
"Ryzodeg is a new treatment option which provides proven glycaemic
(blood sugar) control, with fewer injections and reduced rates of
hypoglycaemia (dangerously low sugar levels) compared to basal-bolus
regimens," Rodbard said.
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Combination therapies for type 2 diabetes are becoming increasingly
common as patients continually require additional medicines as the
disease progresses.
Complications from diabetes caused by failing to keep blood sugar
under control can be serious and may include heart disease, stroke,
blindness or kidney disease.
With diabetes affecting 382 million people worldwide and the number
of cases expected to rise to 592 million by 2035, according to the
International Diabetes Federation, the disease represents a huge
market for pharmaceutical companies.
The Danish company, whose main rivals include Sanofi and Eli Lilly &
Co, aims to increase the number of people using its drugs to 40
million in 2020 from 23 million in 2012.
(Reporting by Shida Chayesteh, editing by Jane Merriman)
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