First IQWiG assessment of the established drug market finds advantage for Januvia

There are hints of a minor added benefit of US drug giant Merck & Co’s (NYSE: MRK) Januvia (sitagliptin) in free combination with metformin versus sulfonylureas if the treatment goal is to lower blood glucose to near-normal levels, according to the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). In comparison with the sulfonylurea glipizide, which is not approved in Germany, the added benefit in men is even "major," it noted.

In contrast, an added benefit is not proven for other drugs from the group of gliptins. This is the conclusion reached by the IQWiG, which presented the first dossier assessments under the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products (AMNOG) for the so-called established market. These assessments dealt with drugs from the group of gliptins.

Comprehensive commission package on gliptins