Comparing Diabetes Drugs: Januvia vs. Victoza
Comparing Diabetes Drugs: Januvia vs. Victoza
April 22, 2010 -- Type 2 diabetes patients who took the new once-a-day injectable drug Victoza achieved better blood sugar control and lost more weight than patients who took the widely prescribed oral drug Januvia, a study shows.
The trial is the first to compare two classes of diabetes drugs that target insulin-regulating hormones in the gut known as incretins, researchers say.
Incretin-based drugs are most often prescribed to patients who do not achieve target blood sugar levels with the drug metformin or other oral agents for diabetes.
Introduced early this year, Victoza is one of two FDA-approved drugs that mimic the activity of the naturally occurring incretin hormone GLP-1. The other is the twice-daily injected drug Byetta.
Januvia works by blocking DDP-4, a key enzyme that breaks down GLP-1.
Both classes of drugs increase insulin secretion and decrease secretion of the hormone glucagon, which raises blood sugar.
Slideshow:Type 2 Diabetes Overview
The trial is the first to compare two classes of diabetes drugs that target insulin-regulating hormones in the gut known as incretins, researchers say.
Incretin-based drugs are most often prescribed to patients who do not achieve target blood sugar levels with the drug metformin or other oral agents for diabetes.
Introduced early this year, Victoza is one of two FDA-approved drugs that mimic the activity of the naturally occurring incretin hormone GLP-1. The other is the twice-daily injected drug Byetta.
Januvia works by blocking DDP-4, a key enzyme that breaks down GLP-1.
Both classes of drugs increase insulin secretion and decrease secretion of the hormone glucagon, which raises blood sugar.
Slideshow:Type 2 Diabetes Overview
