The European Commission has approved Forxiga (dapagliflozin) tablets for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in the European Union (EU). Forxiga was discovered by Bristol-Myers Squibb and is the latest product to be approved under the collaboration between Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca, to research, develop and commercialise select investigational drugs for type 2 diabetes.
Forxiga is a selective and reversible inhibitor of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) that works independently of insulin to help remove excess glucose from the body, a unique mode of action not seen in any other currently available treatments for type 2 diabetes. This is the first medicine in the new SGLT2 class to gain regulatory approval for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, a disease in which high unmet medical need exists.
Forxiga tablets are indicated as a once-daily oral medication to improve glycaemic control in adult patients with type 2 diabetes. Forxiga is intended 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.
“Many Europeans with type 2 diabetes are not reaching treatment goals, increasing their risk of developing complications, so there is a critical need for new treatments. Forxiga provides physicians with a completely new option to help improve glycaemic control that complements commonly used glucose-lowering treatments like metformin and insulin with additional benefits of weight loss and blood pressure lowering,” said John Wilding, DM, FRCP, Professor of Medicine and Honorary Consultant Physician, Head of Diabetes and Endocrinology Clinical Research Unit, University Hospital Aintree, UK. “The approval of Forxiga represents a significant advance in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.”
Forxiga works in the kidney to selectively inhibit SGLT2, resulting in the removal of excess glucose and its associated calories in the urine. Through the removal of excess glucose, Forxiga helps to reduce blood sugar levels. In clinical studies, Forxiga also showed reductions in weight and blood pressure. Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca are currently seeking regulatory approval for Forxiga in several other countries.
“Diabetes is a progressive disease that requires a combination of treatment approaches over time,” said Lamberto Andreotti, chief executive officer, Bristol-Myers Squibb. “Forxiga is the first of a new class of type 2 diabetes medication that works independently of insulin and represents a new treatment option for patients and physicians across Europe.”
“We are excited about the approval of Forxiga in Europe, and the significant advancement it represents for the many millions of European patients with type 2 diabetes who need new options to manage this progressive disease,” said Pascal Soriot, CEO, AstraZeneca. “Forxiga is an impoForxiga on to the growing range of Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca diabetes treatments and further demonstrates our commitment to addressing the unmet needs of adults with type 2 diabetes.”
The approval of Forxiga in the EU is based on the results of a broad clinical development programme that included 11 double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled phase III clinical trials assessing the safety and efficacy of FORXIGA as a once-daily oral therapy. These 11 trials involved 5,693 patients worldwide with type 2 diabetes, including 3,939 patients treated with FORXIGA. A higher proportion of patients with type 2 diabetes treated with FORXIGA compared to placebo achieved the goal of HbA1c < 7%. The extensive clinical development programme also demonstrated that Forxiga had a positive benefit-risk profile, with a low risk of hypoglycaemia, across a wide range of patient populations. Researchers also found additional benefits, such as reductions in body weight and systolic blood pressure in double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trials.
Forxiga tablets are approved as a once-daily oral medication in adult patients with type 2 diabetes to improve glycaemic control:
As a monotherapy, when diet and exercise alone do not provide adequate glycaemic control in patients for whom use of metformin is considered inappropriate due to intolerance; or in combination with other glucose-lowering medicinal products including insulin, when these, together with diet and exercise, do not provide adequate glycaemic control.
Forxiga is not indicated as a weight loss product or for the management of obesity or high blood pressure, and has only been studied for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca entered into a collaboration to research, develop and commercialise select investigational drugs for type 2 diabetes. The Bristol-Myers Squibb/AstraZeneca diabetes collaboration is dedicated to global patient care and improving patient outcomes in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The portfolio of type 2 diabetes products developed as a part of the Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca collaboration includes the first-in-class SGLT2 inhibitor Forxiga (dapagliflozin), the DPP4 inhibitor Onglyza (saxagliptin), Komboglyze (saxagliptin and metformin HCl immediate-release fixed dose combination) and Kombiglyze XR (saxagliptin and metformin HCl extended-release fixed dose combination), which is only available outside the European Union.