Novo Nordisk A/S

Tresiba® demonstrates a safe cardiovascular profile and reduces the risk of severe hypoglycaemia compared to insulin glargine U100 in the DEVOTE trial

Bagsværd, 29 November 2016 - Today, Novo Nordisk announced the headline results from the DEVOTE trial, a long-term, randomised, double-blinded and event-driven trial conducted to confirm the cardiovascular safety of Tresiba^® (insulin degludec) compared to insulin glargine U100 when added to standard of care. In the trial, more than 7,500 people with type 2 diabetes at high risk of major adverse cardiovascular events were treated for a period of approximately two years.

The trial achieved its primary endpoint by demonstrating non-inferiority of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) with Tresiba^® compared to insulin glargine U100. The trial thereby confirmed the results of the DEVOTE interim analysis submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2015, on the basis of which Tresiba^® and Ryzodeg^® 70/30 were approved in the US in September 2015.

The primary endpoint of the DEVOTE study was defined as the MACE composite outcome of the first occurrence of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction or non-fatal stroke and showed a hazard ratio of 0.91 in favour of Tresiba^® relative to insulin glargine U100, with no statistically significant difference between the two treatments.

From a mean HbA_1c baseline of 8.4%, the trial showed a similar reduction with Tresiba^® compared to insulin glargine U100 with an end-of-trial treatment difference of 0.01 percentage-points between the two treatment arms, thus fulfilling the requirements for objectively comparing hypoglycaemia rates between the two treatments.

In the trial, Tresiba^® demonstrated superiority on the secondary confirmatory endpoint of severe hypoglycaemia: 27% fewer patients in the Tresiba^® treated group experienced an episode of severe hypoglycaemia, resulting in a 40% overall reduction of total episodes of adjudicated severe hypoglycaemia. Furthermore, patients in the Tresiba^® treated group experienced a 54% relative reduction in the rate of nocturnal severe hypoglycaemia. These differences were all statistically significant.

Tresiba^® appeared to have a safe and well-tolerated profile consistent with previous clinical studies conducted with Tresiba^®.

"We are very pleased that the DEVOTE study demonstrates the cardiovascular safety of Tresiba^® and also confirms the hypoglycaemia benefit of this new generation insulin. Severe hypoglycaemia remains the most serious treatment risk related to insulin therapy. The DEVOTE results further strengthen the potential of Tresiba^® to become the new standard of care within basal insulin therapy," says Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, executive vice president and chief science officer of Novo Nordisk.