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Victoza®—a once-daily GLP‑1 RA therapy

Indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in patients 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke) in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and established cardiovascular disease.1

Review the Victoza® study data for adult and pediatric patients with T2D

See efficacy and safety

Ozempic® (semaglutide) injection 0.5 mg or 1 mg

Indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events (CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke) in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and established CVD.2

See Ozempic® Important Safety Information below.

View Ozempic® Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning.

Should you consider once-weekly Ozempic® for your appropriate adult patients?

Patients preferred weekly vs daily type 2 diabetes injections

Based on a study designed to quantify the preferences of patients for reducing the frequency of injections with GLP-1 RA from once daily to once weekly. Adult patients with type 2 diabetes (n=643) using once-weekly or once-daily GLP-1 RA injections, or insulin, as well as injection-naïve patients, were surveyed regarding their injection device preferences.3

Study design ▼

One weekly Ozempic® injection compares to seven weekly Victoza® injections
One weekly Ozempic® injection compares to seven weekly Victoza® injections

See the study data from the SUSTAIN 7 trial

Learn about glycemic control with Ozempic®

A1C reduction

See the results of the head-to-head SUSTAIN 7 trial comparing Ozempic® to Trulicity®4
Learn about weight results with Ozempic®

Weight change4

The SUSTAIN 7 trial studied weight change as a secondary endpoint. Ozempic® is not indicated for weight loss.

Ozempic® significantly reduced the risk of MACE as evaluated in a 2-year CVOT vs placebo in adults with type 2 diabetes and established CVD.2,a

aResults apply to Ozempic® plus standard of care vs standard of care alone in SUSTAIN 6 trial.
MACE=CV death, nonfatal MI, or nonfatal stroke.

Ozempic® Important Safety Information

WARNING: RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS

  • In rodents, semaglutide causes dose-dependent and treatment-duration-dependent thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures. It is unknown whether Ozempic® causes thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans as human relevance of semaglutide-induced rodent thyroid C-cell tumors has not been determined.
  • Ozempic® is contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of MTC and in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2). Counsel patients regarding the potential risk for MTC with the use of Ozempic® and inform them of symptoms of thyroid tumors (eg, a mass in the neck, dysphagia, dyspnea, persistent hoarseness). Routine monitoring of serum calcitonin or using thyroid ultrasound is of uncertain value for early detection of MTC in patients treated with Ozempic®.

What could your patients who make the change to Ozempic® expect?

On average, patients pay less for Ozempic® compared to Victoza®.b,c

Ozempic® has over 90% unrestricted commercial insurance coverage nationwide in 2019

Ozempic® has more unrestricted coverage for commercial patients than Victoza®.d
Majority of patients will pay $25 per monthly prescription of Ozempic® thanks to savings options

To receive offer, prescription must be for a 1-month or 3-month supply. The Ozempic® 3-month savings offer is intended to help patients minimize gaps in therapy.

bTo receive the 3-month savings offer, patient must have a 3-month prescription for Ozempic®.
cData based on IQVIA LAAD November 2019 – October 2020.
dData from VANTAGE Fingertip Formulary bridge/October 2020 Nomenclature, and Xponent PlanTrak using week ending 11/6/2020; only considers bridged volume; excludes cash and mail order data; based on full DCS/EDCS/IDCS/HSDCS IC universe (targets and non-targets).
eEligible commercially insured patients with coverage for Ozempic® pay as little as $25 for a 1-month or 3-month supply with the Ozempic® savings offer. Month is defined as 28 days. Maximum savings is $150 for 1-month or $450 for 3-month supply. Offer is good for up to 24 months. Eligibility and restrictions apply.

Patient preference study design3

Objective:
To quantify the preferences of patients with type 2 diabetes for reducing the frequency of injections with GLP-1 RAs from once daily to once weekly.

Patients:
A total of 643 adult patients with type 2 diabetes: exenatide QW (n=150), liraglutide QD (n=153), insulin (n=156), and injection naïve (n=184).

Methods:
A survey was developed to gather and analyze injection device preferences among 4 subgroups that were selected to test whether patients with varying injection experiences would exhibit different preferences: patients taking once-weekly exenatide, patients taking once-daily liraglutide, patients taking insulin, and injection-naïve patients

  • Participants chose and ranked, in order of importance, 6 injection device attributes (other than efficacy, safety, or cost) including injection frequency, injection device, needle used to inject, pain associated with injection, need to refrigerate medicine, and bumps or nodules around injection site

Questions about dosing?

Learn more about prescribing 1‑month and 3‑month supplies of Ozempic®.

Help your patients get started

Check out the tools to help you check patient coverage and benefits for Ozempic®.

Victoza® Selected Important Safety Information

WARNING: RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS

  • Liraglutide causes dose-dependent and treatment-duration-dependent thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures in both genders of rats and mice. It is unknown whether Victoza® causes thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans, as the human relevance of liraglutide-induced rodent thyroid C-cell tumors has not been determined.
  • Victoza® is contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of MTC and in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2). Counsel patients regarding the potential risk for MTC with the use of Victoza® and inform them of symptoms of thyroid tumors (eg, a mass in the neck, dysphagia, dyspnea, persistent hoarseness). Routine monitoring of serum calcitonin or using thyroid ultrasound is of uncertain value for early detection of MTC in patients treated with Victoza®.

Indications and Limitations of Use

Victoza® (liraglutide) injection 1.2 mg or 1.8 mg is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in patients 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus and to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or non-fatal stroke) in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and established cardiovascular disease.

  • Victoza® should not be used in patients with type 1 diabetes.
  • Victoza® contains liraglutide and should not be coadministered with other liraglutide-containing products.

Important Safety Information

WARNING: RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS

  • Liraglutide causes dose-dependent and treatment-duration-dependent thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures in both genders of rats and mice. It is unknown whether Victoza® causes thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans, as the human relevance of liraglutide-induced rodent thyroid C-cell tumors has not been determined.
  • Victoza® is contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of MTC and in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2). Counsel patients regarding the potential risk for MTC with the use of Victoza® and inform them of symptoms of thyroid tumors (eg, a mass in the neck, dysphagia, dyspnea, persistent hoarseness). Routine monitoring of serum calcitonin or using thyroid ultrasound is of uncertain value for early detection of MTC in patients treated with Victoza®.

Contraindications

  • Victoza® is contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of MTC or in patients with MEN 2, and in patients with a prior serious hypersensitivity reaction to liraglutide or to any of the excipients in Victoza®. Serious hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylactic reactions and angioedema have been reported with Victoza®.

Warnings and Precautions

  • Risk of Thyroid C-cell Tumors: Patients should be referred to an endocrinologist for further evaluation if serum calcitonin is measured and found to be elevated or thyroid nodules are noted on physical examination or neck imaging.
  • Pancreatitis: Acute pancreatitis, including fatal and nonfatal hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis, has been observed in patients treated with Victoza® postmarketing. Observe patients carefully for signs and symptoms of pancreatitis (persistent severe abdominal pain, sometimes radiating to the back with or without vomiting). If pancreatitis is suspected, discontinue Victoza® promptly and if pancreatitis is confirmed, do not restart. Consider other antidiabetic therapies in patients with a history of pancreatitis.
  • Never Share a Victoza® Pen Between Patients, even if the needle is changed. Pen-sharing poses a risk for transmission of blood-borne pathogens.
  • Hypoglycemia: Adult patients receiving Victoza® in combination with an insulin secretagogue (eg, sulfonylurea) or insulin may have an increased risk of hypoglycemia, including severe hypoglycemia. In pediatric patients 10 years of age and older, the risk of hypoglycemia was higher with Victoza® regardless of insulin and/or metformin use.
  • Renal Impairment: Acute renal failure and worsening of chronic renal failure, which may sometimes require hemodialysis, have been reported postmarketing, usually in association with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or dehydration. Use caution when initiating or escalating doses of Victoza® in patients with renal impairment.
  • Hypersensitivity Reactions: Serious hypersensitivity reactions (eg, anaphylaxis and angioedema) have been reported postmarketing. If symptoms of hypersensitivity reactions occur, patients must stop taking Victoza®; treat promptly per standard of care, and monitor until signs and symptoms resolve. Do not use in patients with a previous hypersensitivity reaction to liraglutide or to any of the excipients in Victoza®. Anaphylaxis and angioedema have been reported with other GLP-1 receptor agonists. Use caution in a patient with a history of anaphylaxis or angioedema with another GLP-1 receptor agonist because it is unknown whether such patients will be predisposed to these reactions with Victoza®.
  • Acute Gallbladder Disease: In the LEADER trial, 3.1% of Victoza® vs 1.9% of placebo-treated patients reported an acute event of gallbladder disease, such as cholelithiasis or cholecystitis. The majority of events required hospitalization or cholecystectomy. If cholelithiasis is suspected, gallbladder studies and appropriate clinical follow-up are indicated.

Adverse Reactions

  • The most common adverse reactions, reported in ≥5% of patients treated with Victoza® and more commonly than in patients treated with placebo, are nausea, diarrhea, headache, vomiting, decreased appetite, dyspepsia, and constipation. Immunogenicity-related events, including urticaria, were more common among Victoza®-treated patients (0.8%) than among comparator-treated patients (0.4%) in clinical trials.

Drug Interactions

  • Victoza® causes a delay of gastric emptying and has the potential to impact the absorption of concomitantly administered oral medications. Caution should be exercised when oral medications are concomitantly administered with Victoza®.
  • When initiating Victoza®, consider reducing the dose of concomitantly administered insulin secretagogues (such as sulfonylureas) or insulin to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia.

Use in Specific Populations

  • The safety and effectiveness of Victoza® have not been established in pediatric patients less than 10 years of age.
  • Victoza® slows gastric emptying. Victoza® has not been studied in patients with pre-existing gastroparesis.
  • Victoza® should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.

Please click here for Victoza® Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning.



Important Safety Information for Ozempic® (semaglutide) injection 0.5 mg or 1 mg

WARNING: RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS

  • In rodents, semaglutide causes dose-dependent and treatment-duration-dependent thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures. It is unknown whether Ozempic® causes thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans as human relevance of semaglutide-induced rodent thyroid C-cell tumors has not been determined.
  • Ozempic® is contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of MTC and in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2). Counsel patients regarding the potential risk for MTC with the use of Ozempic® and inform them of symptoms of thyroid tumors (eg, a mass in the neck, dysphagia, dyspnea, persistent hoarseness). Routine monitoring of serum calcitonin or using thyroid ultrasound is of uncertain value for early detection of MTC in patients treated with Ozempic®.

Indications and Limitations of Use

Ozempic® (semaglutide) injection 0.5 mg or 1 mg is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events (CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction or nonfatal stroke) in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and established CV disease.

  • Ozempic® has not been studied in patients with a history of pancreatitis. Consider other antidiabetic therapies in patients with a history of pancreatitis.
  • Ozempic® is not indicated for use in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Contraindications

  • Ozempic® is contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of MTC or in patients with MEN 2, and in patients with a prior hypersensitivity reaction to semaglutide or to any of the excipients in Ozempic®. Serious hypersensitivity reactions including anaphylaxis and angioedema have been reported with Ozempic®.

Warnings and Precautions

  • Risk of Thyroid C-Cell Tumors: Patients should be referred to an endocrinologist for further evaluation if serum calcitonin is measured and found to be elevated or thyroid nodules are noted on physical examination or neck imaging.
  • Pancreatitis: Acute and chronic pancreatitis have been reported in clinical studies. Observe patients carefully for signs and symptoms of pancreatitis (persistent severe abdominal pain, sometimes radiating to the back with or without vomiting). If pancreatitis is suspected, discontinue Ozempic® promptly, and if pancreatitis is confirmed, do not restart.
  • Diabetic Retinopathy Complications: In a 2-year trial involving patients with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk, more events of diabetic retinopathy complications occurred in patients treated with Ozempic® (3.0%) compared with placebo (1.8%). The absolute risk increase for diabetic retinopathy complications was larger among patients with a history of diabetic retinopathy at baseline than among patients without a known history of diabetic retinopathy.
    Rapid improvement in glucose control has been associated with a temporary worsening of diabetic retinopathy. The effect of long-term glycemic control with semaglutide on diabetic retinopathy complications has not been studied. Patients with a history of diabetic retinopathy should be monitored for progression of diabetic retinopathy.
  • Never Share an Ozempic® Pen Between Patients: Ozempic® pens must never be shared between patients, even if the needle is changed. Pen-sharing poses a risk for transmission of blood-borne pathogens.
  • Hypoglycemia: Patients receiving Ozempic® in combination with an insulin secretagogue (eg, sulfonylurea) or insulin may have an increased risk of hypoglycemia, including severe hypoglycemia. Inform patients using these concomitant medications of the risk of hypoglycemia and educate them on the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia.
  • Acute Kidney Injury: There have been postmarketing reports of acute kidney injury and worsening of chronic renal failure, which may sometimes require hemodialysis, in patients treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists. Some of these events have been reported in patients without known underlying renal disease. A majority of the reported events occurred in patients who had experienced nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or dehydration. Monitor renal function when initiating or escalating doses of Ozempic® in patients reporting severe adverse gastrointestinal reactions.
  • Hypersensitivity: Serious hypersensitivity reactions (eg, anaphylaxis, angioedema) have been reported in patients treated with Ozempic®. If hypersensitivity reactions occur, discontinue use of Ozempic®; treat promptly per standard of care, and monitor until signs and symptoms resolve. Use caution in a patient with a history of angioedema or anaphylaxis with another GLP-1 receptor agonist.

Adverse Reactions

  • The most common adverse reactions, reported in ≥5% of patients treated with Ozempic® are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and constipation.

Drug Interactions

  • When initiating Ozempic®, consider reducing the dose of concomitantly administered insulin secretagogue (such as sulfonylureas) or insulin to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia.
  • Ozempic® causes a delay of gastric emptying and has the potential to impact the absorption of concomitantly administered oral medications, so caution should be exercised.

Use in Specific Populations

  • There are limited data with semaglutide use in pregnant women to inform a drug-associated risk for adverse developmental outcomes. Discontinue Ozempic® in women at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy due to the long washout period for semaglutide.

Please click here for Ozempic® Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning.



References:

  1. Victoza [package insert]. Plainsboro, NJ: Novo Nordisk Inc; November 2020.
  2. Ozempic [package insert]. Plainsboro, NJ: Novo Nordisk Inc; April 2021.
  3. Hauber AB, Nguyen H, Posner J, Kalsekar I, Ruggles J. A discrete-choice experiment to quantify patient preferences for frequency of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist injections in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Curr Med Res Opin. 2016;32(2):251-262.
  4. Pratley RE, Aroda VR, Lingvay I, et al, on behalf of the SUSTAIN 7 investigators. Semaglutide versus dulaglutide once weekly in patients with type 2 diabetes (SUSTAIN 7): a randomised, open-label, phase 3b trial. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2018;6(4):275-286.