Successful Phase III SCALET trial for liraglutide for Obesity treatment - Novo Nordisk

Results from the SCALET Obesity and Pre-diabetes phase IIIa trial will be presented on 16 May, 2014 for the first time at the 23rd Annual Congress of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE). Data showed that after 56 weeks of treatment, liraglutide 3 mg (Victoza from Novo Nordisk), in combination with diet and exercise, provided significantly greater weight loss of 8% from baseline compared to 2.6% with placebo (p<0.0001). this is the largest trial in the scalet programme investigating liraglutide 3 mg, an investigational once-daily glucagon-like peptide-1 (glp-1) analogue for weight management.>

All treatment groups included a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. The proportion of adults achieving weight loss of 5% or more of their baseline body weight was 64% for liraglutide 3 mg treatment compared to 27% for placebo (p<0.0001). in addition, 33% of adults treated with liraglutide 3 mg achieved weight loss greater than 10% of their baseline body weight compared to 10% for placebo (p><0.0001). in conjunction with weight loss, treatment with liraglutide 3 mg significantly reduced waist circumference by -8.19 cm, compared to -3.94 cm with placebo (p><0.0001). furthermore, treatment with liraglutide 3 mg improved blood glucose levels, blood pressure and lipids levels.>

The most frequently reported side effects associated with liraglutide 3 mg treatment were gastrointestinal (nausea and diarrhoea), which were mild to moderate, occurred shortly after liraglutide initiation, and were transient. Incidences of gallbladder disorders and pancreatitis were low but higher than in placebo-treated individuals.