LEADER study of Victoza (liraglutide) shows some risks for diabetic patients with heart failure- Novo Nordisk
New data from LEADER, a a Phase II study of Victoza (liraglutide), from Novo Nordisk, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows evidence of some risks associated with Victoza in patients with advanced heart failure. Compared with placebo, liraglutide had no significant effect on the primary end point (mean rank of 146 for the liraglutide group vs 156 for the placebo group). There were no significant between-group differences in the number of deaths (19 [12%] in the liraglutide group vs 16 [11%] in the placebo group) or rehospitalizations for heart failure (63 [41%] vs 50 [34%], respectively) or for the exploratory secondary end points. Prespecified subgroup analyses in patients with diabetes did not reveal any significant between-group differences. The number of investigator-reported hyperglycemic events was 16 (10%) in the liraglutide group vs 27 (18%) in the placebo group and hypoglycemic events were infrequent (2 [1%] vs 4 [3%], respectively).
In conclusion, among patients recently hospitalized with heart failure and reduced LVEF, the use of liraglutide did not lead to greater posthospitalization clinical stability. These findings do not support the use of liraglutide in this clinical situation.
See: "Effects of Liraglutide on Clinical Stability Among Patients With Advanced Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction -A Randomized Clinical Trial" Kenneth B. Margulies et al. JAMA. 2016;316(5):500-508. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.10260
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