Japanese panel backs second Novo insulin product

Novo Nordisk A/S (CSE:NVO; NYSE:NVO) said a Japanese drug advisory committee issued a positive recommendation on a marketing application for Ryzodeg insulin Degludec/insulin aspart to treat Type I and II diabetes. Novo expects Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) to make a decision "within a few months." Ryzodeg is a combination of 70% insulin Degludec and 30% Novo Nordisk's NovoLog insulin aspart.

In September, Japan approved Novo's Tresiba insulin degludec after a Japanese committee backed the long-acting insulin analog. The company said it expects to launch Tresiba in Japan after it complete prices negotiations next quarter (see BioCentury Extra, Sept. 28). ...