Novo Nordisk's experimental ultra-long-acting insulin degludec is up to four times less variable in its day-to-day effect than Sanofi-Aventis's established rival Lantus, data on Tuesday showed.

The Danish company, the world's biggest insulin maker, is banking on degludec to consolidate its market lead in the years ahead. The new product is a challenger not only to Lantus but also Novo's own best-selling long-acting insulin Levemir.

Novo presented the results from a trial comparing variability in the glucose-lowering effect of identical doses of degludec or Lantus at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Stockholm.

Chief Scientific Officer Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen said the lower day-to-day variability of degludec was consistent with earlier promising Phase II clinical trial results.