GlaxoSmithKline is launching Avandaryl (rosiglitazone maleate and glimepiride), a new fixed-dose combination product for type 2 diabetes in the United States.

Recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, Avandaryl is the first and only tablet to combine a thiazolidinedione (TZD), rosiglitazone maleate - separately marketed as Avandia with a sulfonylurea, glimepiride - separately marketed as Amaryl, to help improve blood sugar control. As an adjunct to diet and exercise, Avandaryl is indicated to improve blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes who are already treated with a combination of rosiglitazone and sulfonylurea or who are not adequately controlled on a sulfonylurea alone or for those patients who have initially responded to rosiglitazone alone and require additional blood sugar control, claims a GSK release.

"An estimated 64 per cent of type 2 diabetes patients are not well controlled on their current therapy. According to the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS), many monotherapy treatments may fail to maintain blood sugar control over time. Combination therapy is often needed to help reach and maintain patients' blood sugar goals over time," said Barry Goldstein, director, division of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolic diseases, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia.

"Avandaryl, a combination of rosiglitazone and a sulfonylurea, provides two different, yet complementary, mechanisms of action to treat diabetes by improving blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes. The patient's treatment regimen combines these two medicines into one convenient tablet," added Goldstein.