Recently, Novo Nordisk’s diabetes treatment Victoza® (liraglutide) is clinically proven to be kinder on diabetes patients’ hearts and kidneys, offering them a better future.

Victoza® is the only glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist that is indicated to reduce the risk of three major adverse cardiovascular events, non-fatal heart attack, non-fatal stroke and cardiovascular deaths.

Victoza® was approved in Malaysia for a new indication to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, non-fatal heart attack and non-fatal stroke in type 2 diabetes patients, the only GLP-1 treatment to be indicated for this.

This indication was approved after the landmark Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes: Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcome Results (LEADER) trial conducted with more than 9,300 patients with type 2 diabetes, showed that Victoza® significantly reduced the risk of a three-component endpoint consisting of cardiovascular death, non-fatal heart attack or non-fatal stroke by 13 per cent versus placebo, with an absolute risk reduction of 1.9 per cent.

Furthermore, for renal microvascular events, Victoza® was proven to lower the risk of these outcomes as compared to patients who received placebo.

It was also found that there was no dose adjustment required for Victoza® for patients with mild, moderate or severe renal impairment.

Victoza® is an analogue GLP-1 that has been indicated for treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes, it is clinically proven to lower blood glucose levels and been associated with slight reductions in weight and blood pressure.

“Alarmingly, there is an increasing number of young patients being diagnosed with diabetes, this is concerning as the younger the patients, the higher the risk of complications developing earlier.

“Patients with type 2 diabetes can develop severe cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack, heart failure and stroke, and diabetic patients are two to six times more likely to die from a cardiovascular complication.

“Additionally, diabetes is also the leading cause of kidney disease, with about one out of four adults with diabetes, developing renal impairment,” said Hospital Putrajaya consultant endocrinologist, Dr Zanariah Hussein.  

“Patients with type 2 diabetes are often not fully aware of the danger of developing heart diseases, complications like coronary heart disease and heart failure develop earlier in type 2 diabetes patient due to plaque build-up that blocks the arteries, thus reducing blood flow to the heart and potentially causing a heart attack.

“Without the right treatments, it would be difficult to manage these two diseases effectively,” said Institut Jantung Negara consultant cardiologist, Datuk Seri Dr Azhari bin Rosman.

“Malaysians with type 2 diabetes can now look towards a new lease of life with the new indication of Victoza® in the market.

“As a healthcare professional, this is a welcomed treatment as it not only gives patients better control of diabetes, but also prevents potentially fatal cardiovascular events like heart attacks,” said consultant endocrinologist, Dr Chan Siew Pheng.

“At Novo Nordisk, helping diabetes patients overcome their challenges has been part of our heritage for more than 90 years, and we intend to continue delivering on this commitment.

“Victoza® is an established trusted treatment for type 2 diabetes, the new indication of reducing associated cardiovascular events is the next step in enhancing the health and quality of life of Malaysian patients.

“We hope to continue innovating new treatment options that will address critical aspects of diabetes care beyond glucose lowering,” said Novo Nordisk Pharma (M) Sdn Bhd vice president & general manager (Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Sri Lanka and Maldives), Richard Abela.

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