Novo Nordisk's Experimental Basal Insulin Degludec Produces Less Hypoglycemia than Lantus in Recent Study

In a recent study, Novo Nordisk's next-generation basal insulin degludec was found to cause less hypoglycemia than Lantus.

In early May, Novo Nordisk announced the results of a study of its next-generation basal insulin, called degludec, demonstrating that it causes less hypoglycemia than sanofi-aventis' Lantus, the current leading basal insulin. The study was a meta-analysis, a pooling of data from multiple trials comparing degludec with Lantus. In type 2 patients using only basal insulin, degludec caused 17% less overall hypoglycemia and 36% less nocturnal hypoglycemia than Lantus. In all participants (people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, using either basal insulin alone or in combination with mealtime insulin), people using degludec also experienced 9% less hypoglycemia overall, with 26% less nocturnal hypoglycemia. This lower rate may be attributed to degludec’s very long and even activity profile. As we’ve noted previously, degludec could be available as soon as 2013 in the US and in Europe. A number of different formulations of degludec are also in the works, including a fixed-dose combination of degludec and mealtime insulin (55% degludec and 45% NovoLog), and a combination of degludec and the GLP-1 analog Victoza.  –MY