Novo Nordisk's IDegLira—already approved in Europe under the name Xultophy—combines the company's long-acting insulin Tresiba (insulin degludec) and the GLP-1 agonist Victoza (liraglutide). Similarly, Sanofi's iGlarLixi marries its long-acting insulin Lantus (insulin glargine) with the GLP-1 agonist Lyxumia (lixisenatide). Both could help patients who are unable to achieve glycemic control with current treatments. “Only about 50% of patients can achieve their blood sugar targets in the real world,” according to Alan Moses, Novo Nordisk's chief medical officer.
The combination injections were more effective at controlling blood glucose than either drug used alone. In Novo Nordisk's phase 3 DUAL series of trials, IDegLira used for 26 weeks pushed down hemoglobin A1c levels (a marker of glucose control) by 1.9% from baseline compared with 1.4% reduction with long-acting Tresiba and 1.3% drop with the GLP-1 agonist. Sanofi investigated its combination in the LixiLan-L and LixiLan-O trials. In the latter, after 30 weeks, the fixed-dose combination pushed HbA1c down from baseline 1.6% compared with 1.3% with long-acting insulin and 0.9% with the GLP-1 agent alone, respectively. “These drugs are very potent combinations of two very effective drugs,” says Michael Nauck, head of clinical diabetes research of Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution