Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd has announced that Kissei filed an application for an additional indication of "combination therapy with insulin sensitizer" for Glufast (generic name: mitiglinide) 5mg tablet and 10mg tablet, which is being co-marketed by Kissei and Takeda, to the regulatory authorities in Japan.

Glufast, originally created and developed by Kissei, co-marketed in tandem with Takeda in Japan since May 2004, is a diabetic medicine that promotes insulin secretion by stimulating the pancreatic ƒÀ-cells. It demonstrates effects promptly after dosing, thereby it brings insulin secretion closer to its natural patterns and improves postprandial hyperglycaemia. Because of its duration of action, Glufast is less liable to trigger hypoglycemia.

Insulin-resistance is a condition where the body does not effectively use the insulin it produces, and pioglitazone HCl, which is insulin sensitizer discovered and marketed by Takeda, is available in Japan under the tradename Actos. Actos suppresses the production of the glucose in the liver while improving the sensitivity to insulin in the peripheral tissues.

In the randomised, double-blind, controlled comparative study, in which clinical usefulness of Actos monotherapy and that of Glufast/Actos combination therapy were evaluated, the latter showed a statistically significant difference in improving HbA1c that is an indicator of plasma glucose control, without increasing the risk of hypoglycemia.