US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved AstraZeneca’s once-daily Qtern for the treatment of type-2 diabetes.
Qtern is used as additive to diet and exercise to improve glycaemic (blood sugar level) control in adults with type-2 diabetes who have inadequate control with dapagliflozin (10mg) or who are already treated with dapagliflozin and saxagliptin, the company explained in its pess release.
Elisabeth Björk, Vice President, Head of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, Global Medicines Development at AstraZeneca, 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 glycaemic control by reducing the reabsorption of glucose from the blood and enabling its removal via the urine.