Victoza® lowers progression of kidney damage in diabetic adults at high CV risk

Novo Nordisk has announced that the progression of kidney damage was significantly lower with Victoza^® treatment vs placebo, as measured by urinary albumin creatinine ratio, both added to standard of care in 9340 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.¹

“Kidney disease is one of the more common long-term complications of type 2 diabetes, affecting up to 40% of adults living with this disease,” said Dr Johannes Mann, LEADER investigator and Professor of Medicine, Dept of Nephrology & Hypertension, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. “These findings are clinically relevant as they indicate that Victoza^® may have the potential to reduce the risk of kidney disease in adults with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk.”

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.¹

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.²

References

1. Results of the liraglutide effect and action in diabetes – evaluation of cardiovascular outcome results (LEADER) trial. Scientific Sessions at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2016. 15 September 2016.
2. Marso SP, Daniels GH, Brown-Frandsen K, et al. Liraglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes. New England Journal of Medicine 2016; 375:311-322.