Boehringer and Lilly nearer market with triple combination diabetes tablet

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the New Drug Application for the investigational fixed-dose combination tablet of empagliflozin, linagliptin and metformin extended release (XR) for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes.

Empagliflozin, marketed as Jardiance in the USA, is a sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor, while linagliptin, which is branded in the USA as Tradjenta tablets, is a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor.

Metformin, meanwhile, decreases the production of glucose in the liver and its absorption in the intestine and improves the body's sensitivity to insulin and ability to utilize glucose. It is the most commonly prescribed initial treatment for type 2 diabetes.