NICE gives limited OK to Victoza

The good news: The U.K.'s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence gave the nod to Novo Nordisk's new diabetes drug Victoza. The not-so-good: That NICE approval is pretty darn limited, and the cost-effectiveness agency wants more data to justify broader use.

NICE gave Victoza the okay for use in obese patients already taking two oral diabetes meds. The approval is only for the 1.2 mg injection, not in higher doses. And therapy should only be continued if the patient loses at least 3 percent of his or her body weight after six months of therapy and sees blood sugar reduced by at least one percentage point, In Vivo points out.

This is the preliminary NICE guidance, so it could change from here, particularly if Novo answers the agency's plea for further data in support of Victoza's use in combo with only one other anti-diabetes med, Reuters reports. The agency also is looking for additional data on the cost effectiveness of Victoza use in patients with a body-mass index lower than 35. The company could submit that further data for a March 18 NICE meeting.

- see the Reuters news
- check out the post at In Vivo

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