Farxiga's march to become mega-blockbuster goes on

AstraZeneca’s (LSE: AZN) Farxiga (dapagliflozin) is already a blockbuster, boasting 2019 sales of $1.47 billion based on an initial approval as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycaemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and to reduce the risk of hospitalization for heart failure (hHF) in patients with T2D and established cardiovascular (CV) disease or multiple CV risk factors.

But its star is set to rise further. The drug won a second US approval in May to reduce the risk of CV death and hHF in adults with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction, with and without T2D, and now it is closing in on a third approval.

Farxiga, which is branded as Forxiga in Europe, has been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD) in the USA for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), with and without T2D.