Drugs giant AstraZeneca PLC (LON:AZN) got a boost today from news the US Food and Drug Administration has approved the group’s once-daily combination Qtern for the treatment of patients with type-2 diabetes.
The FDA indicated the new medicine - a combination of 10mg dapagliflozin and 5mg saxagliptin – as an addition to diet and exercise to help improve blood sugar level control in adults where the single treatments have proved inadequate.
Elisabeth Björk, AstraZeneca’s Vice President, Head of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, Global Medicines Development, said: "Type-2 diabetes is a complex disease that is at epidemic proportions, affecting more than 29 million people in the US alone.
“The approval of Qtern is good news for patients who may benefit from improved glycaemic control by adding a DPP-4 inhibitor to a SGLT-2 inhibitor in a convenient once-daily tablet."
SGLT-2 inhibitors help patients achieve improved blood sugar control by reducing the reabsorption of glucose from the blood and enabling its removal via the urine.
In early morning trading, AstraZeneca shares were nearly 1%, or 41.5p higher at 4,650p.