Novo's oral GLP-1 analog meets in Japanese Phase IIIa for Type II diabetes

Novo Nordisk A/S (CSE:NOVO B; NYSE:NVO) reported that oral semaglutide met the primary safety endpoint in the Japanese Phase IIIa PIONEER 10 trial to treat Type II diabetes. The open-label trial evaluated once-daily 3, 7 and 14 mg doses of oral semaglutide, an oral long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog, compared with once-weekly subcutaneous Trulicity dulaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist from Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE:LLY), in 458 Type II diabetics inadequately controlled with one oral antidiabetic drug.

On the primary endpoint, Novo said oral semaglutide and Trulicity led to a comparable number of adverse events. The incidence of gastrointestinal adverse events, including constipation and nausea, for oral semaglutide was 31% at the 3 mg dose, 39% at the 7 mg dose and 54% at the 14 mg dose vs. 40% for Trulicity...