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Novo Nordisk's diabetes tablet bests Lilly's Jardiance in phase 3 study

Novo Nordisk A/S said its semaglutide tablet was better than Eli Lilly and Co.'s Jardiance in treating adults with type 2 diabetes in a phase 3 study.

The study, also known as Pioneer 2, tested the oral version of semaglutide, as a once-daily tablet, among diabetic patients not properly responding to treatment with metformin, a widely used antidiabetic.

The injectable version of semaglutide is sold by the company under the name Ozempic.

Pioneer 2 used two statistical approaches — a primary approach to test the drug irrespective of whether the patients stopped taking the tablet and a secondary approach to evaluate the drug while it was being used.

Under both the approaches, the trial met its main goal with semaglutide showing statistically significant improvement in patients' HbA1c, or glycated hemoglobin, levels through 26 weeks versus Jardiance.

Glycated hemoglobin develops when hemoglobin, a protein within red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body, joins with glucose in the blood. It provides a longer-term trend, similar to an average, of how high blood-sugar levels have been over a period of time.

While the weight loss due to semaglutide was not superior compared to Jardiance under the first approach, the drug demonstrated statistically significant weight loss under the second approach.

Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide 1, or GLP-1, receptor agonist. GLP-1 is a receptor protein involved in the control of blood sugar level by enhancing insulin secretion.

Novo Nordisk's Pioneer clinical development program consists of 10 studies, with the Pioneer 1 results in February showing oral semaglutide to be better than placebo in improving blood sugar. All 10 studies are expected to be completed in 2018.

Oral versions of Jardiance and Merck & Co. Inc.'s diabetes medicine Januvia are also being tested in ongoing studies with results expected in 2018.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the injectable version of semaglutide in 2017 as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.