AstraZeneca Pharma India has launched Forxiga (dapaglifozin), for Type 2 diabetes mellitus. The drug belongs to a new class of Type 2 diabetes mellitus medication having a highly selective inhibitor of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2).
It has a unique insulin independent mode of action that helps remove excess glucose from the body via urine which is associated with reductions in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), weight and systolic blood pressure.
Globally, this drug is the first medicine in the new SGLT2 inhibitor class to gain regulatory approval for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus, the company stated.
Forxiga tablets are indicated as a once-daily oral medication to improve glycaemic control in adult patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is indicated to be used as an adjunct to diet and exercise in combination with other glucose-lowering medicinal products, including insulin, or as a monotherapy in metformin-intolerant patients.
Diabetes mellitus is a disease of epidemic scale in India, with more than 63 million affected people. The company sees Forxiga as a new treatment approach for patients and physicians to improve glycaemic control with added benefits of weight loss and blood pressure reduction.
Currently, the drug is approved in over 40 countries. In February, this year, Drugs Controller General of India approved the drug which was supported by a broad clinical development programme comprising 11,801 patients in various clinical studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of Forxiga.
The company has a non – insulin anti-diabetic product portfolio: Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, SGLT-2 inhibitor and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists. It also holds two patented molecules under the brands Onglyza (Saxagliptin) and Kombiglyze XRTM in the DPP4i segment, Byettain the GLP1 analoguestreatment segment and now Forxiga in the SGLT2i segment.
According to Sanjay Murdeshwar, managing director, AstraZeneca Pharma India Forxiga is backed with a global safety and efficacy data of four years. It is an important addition to our innovative anti-diabetic portfolio; strengthening our commitment to transform patient care in diabetes by offering an additional treatment option for over 63 million diabetic patients in India.”
“Reaching treatment goals of diabetic patients continues to be a challenge in spite of multiple therapeutic options of oral and injectable anti diabetic agents. Forxiga works by blocking reabsorption of glucose in the kidneys. Excess glucose gets excreted via urine helping patients achieve glycaemic control,” said Dr. Bhavesh Kotak, vice president, Medical and Regulatory Affairs, AstraZeneca Pharma India.