NEWS
NOT GOING OUT
SUGAR SICKNESS
T2 DRUG &
FDA OKAY
The US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has approved
AstraZeneca's Xigduo XR, a oncedaily tablet that merges the recently
approved drug dapagliflozin with
metformin. Dapagliflozin, a product
of AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers
Squibb, was approved by the FDA in
January 2014. It works by blocking
the absorption of excess glucose
by the kidneys, so sugar is released
through urine. Metformin, believed to
be the most widely used medication
to treat diabetes, particularly Type
2 diabetes, works by suppressing
glucose production by the liver.
Xigudo XR is already approved to
treat T2 diabetes in Australia, and a
similar version just called Xigduo has
been available in Europe since earlier
this year (2014). Gaining access to
the US market will be a shot in the
arm for AstraZeneca.