Japanese approval for Forxiga and Lonsurf

24 March 2014

Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) says that Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) approved Forxiga (dapagliflozin in 5mg and 10mg tablets), a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, as a once-daily oral treatment for type 2 diabetes.

The Forxiga application was submitted to the MHLW by the local subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMS). AstraZeneca and Japanese drugmaker Ono Pharmaceutical (TYO: 4528) entered into an agreement to co-promote Forxiga in December 2013.

Fouzia Laghrissi-Thode, vice president, global product portfolio strategy for cardiovascular and metabolism, said: “In collaboration with our partner Ono, we are pleased to provide Forxiga as a new treatment option for patients in Japan, where there are an estimated 9.5 million people living with type 2 diabetes. The approval of Forxiga reinforces AstraZeneca’s focus on both diabetes and Japan as two of our key growth drivers."

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK