NICE plans to recommend extra 'triple therapy' drug for treating type 2 diabetes

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) today published final draft guidance recommending Anglo-Swedish pharma major AstraZeneca’s (LSE: AZN) Forxiga (dapagliflozin)for treating type 2 diabetes in ‘triple therapy’.

According to the medicines cost-effectiveness watchdog for England and Wales, this will mean that if someone is already taking two drugs for type 2 diabetes but it’s not controlling their blood sugar, then dapagliflozin can be added as a third drug.

“Tailoring treatments for type 2 diabetes to each person’s individual needs is essential and having a range of drug options makes this easier. This guidance plans to recommend dapagliflozin in triple therapy – only in combination with metformin and a sulfonylurea – which will widen the choice available,” commented Professor Carole Longson, director of the NICE Centre for Health Technology Evaluation, adding: “We’ve been able to speed up this appraisal, going straight to final draft stage because we plan to recommend dapagliflozin. This should help final guidance to be published sooner, and so benefit people more quickly. Diabetes is a serious, long-term condition but the right treatment and support helps manage the impact on people who live with it.”