Novo Nordisk today announced that Health Canada has approved the New Drug Submission for Saxenda (liraglutide), the first once-daily human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue for the treatment of chronic weight management. 

Saxenda (liraglutide) is indicated as an adjunct to a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management in adult patients with an initial body mass index (BMI) of:

• 30 kg/m2 or greater (obese), or; 
• 27 kg/m2 or greater (overweight) in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbidity (e.g., hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or dyslipidemia) and who have failed a previous weight management intervention.

"Many people with obesity suffer from comorbidities. Saxenda has the potential to help some of these people achieve and maintain a clinically significant weight loss and improve their weight-related comorbidities," said Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, executive vice president and chief science officer of Novo Nordisk. 

The Saxenda approval in Canada follows the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) positive opinion under the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on 22 January 2015 and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Saxenda in the US on 23 December 2014. 

For more details, go to: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/novo-nordisk-receives-health-canada-233900357.html