The European Commission (EC) has approved AstraZeneca's Qtern (saxagliptin/dapagliflozin) tablets for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in all 28 EU member countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The fixed-dose combination of saxagliptin and dapagliflozin is the first DPP-4i/SGLT-2i combination product to be approved in Europe.

Qtern is indicated for adults with type 2 diabetes aged 18 years and older to improve glycaemic control when metformin and/or sulphonylurea and one of the mono-components of Qtern alone do not provide adequate control, or when a patient is already being treated with the free combination of saxagliptin and dapagliflozin.

Elisabeth Björk, vice president, head of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, global medicines development at AstraZeneca said: “Nearly half of all people with type 2 diabetes are unable to reach their treatment goal and so risk developing complications due to hyperglycaemia. Qtern is the first combination product of its kind approved in Europe and an important new treatment option to help patients reach their goals through powerful HbA1c reduction.”

The approval is based on data from three trials in type 2 diabetes submitted to the European Medicines Agency. In two trials, the combination of saxagliptin and dapagliflozin with metformin resulted in statistically significant reductions in HbA1c in comparison to patients treated with placebo. An additional trial showed that the combination of saxagliptin and dapagliflozin added to metformin resulted in statistically superior reductions in HbA1c in comparison to patients treated with saxagliptin or dapagliflozin alone added to metformin. In these trials, the safety profile of Qtern was similar to the known safety profiles of saxagliptin and dapagliflozin.

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three therapy areas – respiratory and autoimmunity, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and oncology.