Successful Phase IIIa trial for Saxenda for Obesity treatment- Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk reported new data from the phase IIIa SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes trial at Obesity Week 2014, the 2nd Annual Congress of The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and The Obesity Society. 92% (9 out of 10) of trial participants lost weight with liraglutide 3 mg treatment, in combination with diet and exercise, compared with 65% on placebo treatment. People who completed the trial (56 weeks) demonstrated significantly greater weight loss of 9.2% compared with a 3.5% reduction in the placebo group (estimated difference [ED] 5.7%, p<0.0001).

In addition, weight loss with liraglutide 3 mg was similar across a range of baseline body mass index (BMI) subgroups in people with obesity, from overweight to Class III obesity, at 56 weeks (p=0.054, %; p=0.54, kg) and independent of prediabetes status at screening (-8.0% with vs -7.9% without, p=0.59). A larger proportion of people treated with liraglutide 3 mg completed the trial compared with those on placebo (72% vs. 64%). All treatment groups followed a reduced-calorie diet and an increased physical activity programme.

Weight loss associated with liraglutide 3 mg was accompanied by improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) as measured by three different questionnaires. Greater improvements were seen with liraglutide 3 mg vs placebo. The Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite (IWQoL) total score improved mostly due to better physical function.