BioCentury
ARTICLE | Clinical News

Novo Nordisk falls on liraglutide data

March 19, 2013 12:42 AM UTC

Novo Nordisk A/S (CSE:NVO; NYSE:NVO) was off DKK39 to DKK960 on Monday and fell $8.43 to $166.45 on NYSE after announcing Phase IIIa data for liraglutide to treat obesity in Type II diabetics. Once-daily 1.8 and 3 mg doses of subcutaneous liraglutide met the SCALE Diabetes trial's three co-primary endpoints, but failed to show at least a 5% placebo-adjusted weight loss, one of two benchmarks laid out in 2007 FDA draft guidance for obesity drugs.

Both doses met the second benchmark with at least 35% of patients achieving 5% or greater weight loss. Obesity drugs must only meet one of the two benchmarks, but doctors and even FDA's Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee have favored drugs with at least 5% placebo-adjusted weight loss. ...