AstraZeneca's combo-diabetes drug now approved in USA

28 February 2017

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved once-daily Qtern (10mg dapagliflozin and 5mg saxagliptin) for the treatment of type-2 diabetes, Anglo-Swedish pharma major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) announced this morning, sending the firm’s shares up 1.4% to £46.73 by 10am GMT.

The new medicine is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic (blood sugar level) control in adults with type-2 diabetes who have inadequate control with dapagliflozin (10mg) or who are already treated with dapagliflozin and saxagliptin.

Elisabeth Björk, vice president, head of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, global medicines development at AstraZeneca, said: “Type-2 diabetes is a complex disease that is at epidemic proportions, affecting more than 29 million people in the US alone. The approval of Qtern is good news for patients who may benefit from improved glycemic control by adding a DPP-4 inhibitor to a SGLT-2 inhibitor in a convenient once-daily tablet.”

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