823 
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
- 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.
- 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.
