LEADER CV trial shows Victoza (liraglutide) reduces progression of kidney damage in patients with type 2 diabetes and CV risk- Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk announced that the progression of kidney damage was significantly lower with Victoza (liraglutide) treatment vs placebo, as measured by urinary albumin creatinine ratio, both added to standard of care in 9,340 adults with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular (CV) risk. Similar significant results were observed between Victoza and placebo across subgroups (with no, mild or moderate renal impairment).

New onset or worsening kidney disease was part of a pre-specified secondary endpoint in the landmark LEADER CV outcomes trial. The overall risk reduction of 22% was primarily driven by the component of new onset of persistent macroalbuminuria (high levels of a protein called albumin found in the urine), which occurred significantly less (26%) in adults treated with Victoza vs placebo.

Furthermore, a secondary analysis on hospitalisations for heart failure (HF) demonstrated that Victoza did not increase the risk of hospitalisation for HF in adults with type 2 diabetes and a history of HF vs placebo. In a pre-specified secondary analysis for LEADER, Victoza reduced hospitalisations for HF by 13% vs placebo across all adults with or without a history of HF at baseline. The proportion of adults experiencing adverse events was similar between the Victoza and the placebo groups (62.3% vs 60.8% respectively). The most common adverse events leading to the discontinuation of Victoza were gastrointestinal events. The incidence of pancreatitis was non-significantly lower in the Victoza group than in the placebo group. The results were presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes 2016.