Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and AstraZeneca announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Kombiglyze XR for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults. Kombiglyze XR is the first and only once-a-day metformin extended-release (XR) plus dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor combination tablet offering strong glycemic control across glycosylated haemoglobin levels (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and post-prandial glucose (PPG).

Kombiglyze XR is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus when treatment with both saxagliptin and metformin is appropriate. Kombiglyze XR should not be used for patients with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis and has not been studied in combination with insulin. Consistent with the Prescribing Information (PI) for metformin alone, the PI for Kombiglyze XR contains a boxed warning for lactic acidosis, a rare, but serious metabolic complication that can occur due to metformin accumulation during treatment with Kombiglyze XR.

Once-a-day Kombiglyze XR combines saxagliptin (also known as Onglyza), a DPP-4 inhibitor, and metformin XR, a biguanide, in one tablet for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Kombiglyze XR should generally be administered once a day with the evening meal, with gradual dose titration to reduce the gastrointestinal side effects associated with metformin. The maximum daily recommended dose is 5 mg for saxagliptin and 2,000 mg for metformin extended-release.

“Nearly half of adult patients remain uncontrolled on their current treatment regimen and may thus require additional medications,” said Elliott Sigal, M.D., Ph.D, executive vice president, chief scientific officer, and president, Research & Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb. “With our heritage of bringing metformin -- the most widely prescribed oral antidiabetic medication -- and more recently saxagliptin to patients in the US, we are committed to making Kombiglyze XR the newest building block in our long-term commitment to helping adult patients with type 2 diabetes.”

“Patients with type 2 diabetes in the United States can be taking four or five medications for various diseases and conditions, which can lead to complicated medication schedules,” said Howard Hutchinson, M.D., chief medical officer, AstraZeneca. “Kombiglyze XR combines two effective diabetes medications in a simple once-a-day dose for adult patients who need A1c reductions.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that approximately one in every 11 adults in the United States has diagnosed diabetes. Type 2 diabetes accounts for approximately 90 to 95 per cent of all cases of diagnosed diabetes in adults.

The co-administration of saxagliptin and metformin has been well-studied in adult patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on metformin alone and in treatment-naïve patients inadequately controlled on diet and exercise alone. There have been no clinical efficacy or safety studies conducted with Kombiglyze XR. Relative bioavailability between Kombiglyze XR and coadministered saxagliptin and metformin immediate-release (IR) tablets has not been conducted.

The FDA approved once-a-day Kombiglyze XR based on two phase III clinical trials and bioequivalence studies. The two clinical studies evaluated the efficacy and safety of saxagliptin and metformin IR as separate tablets compared to placebo added to metformin IR. Bioequivalence was demonstrated in healthy adults between Kombiglyze XR and saxagliptin plus metformin XR as separate tablets.

Kombiglyze XR is contraindicated in patients with renal impairment, metabolic acidosis including diabetic ketoacidosis, and hypersensitivity to metformin. Kombiglyze XR should be temporarily discontinued in patients undergoing radiologic studies with iodinated contrast materials.

A total of 1,306 treatment-naïve adult patients with type 2 diabetes participated in a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, active-controlled, 24-week study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Kombiglyze XR in patients with inadequate glycemic control on diet and exercise alone. Kombiglyze XR, administered as ONGLYZA (saxagliptin) 5 mg and metformin IR as separate tablets (n=306; baseline HbA1c 9.4 per cent), delivered significant reductions in HbA1c of -2.5 per cent compared to -2.0 per cent with metformin IR plus placebo (n=313; baseline HbA1c 9.4 per cent). In the study, Kombiglyze XR delivered statistically significant reductions in FPG and PPG versus metformin IR plus placebo. The proportion of patients who discontinued for lack of glycemic control or who were rescued for meeting prespecified glycemic criteria was 7.5 per cent with Onglyza 5 mg plus metformin IR and 10.1 per cent with metformin IR plus placebo. There was no increase of reported hypoglycemia in treatment-naïve patients treated with Kombiglyze XR: incidence of 3.4 per cent for saxagliptin 5 mg plus metformin IR versus 4.0 per cent with metformin IR alone. The adverse reactions occurring in =5 per cent of patients treated with saxagliptin 5 mg plus metformin IR and more commonly than in patients treated with metformin IR alone were headache (7.5 per cent vs. 5.2 per cent) and nasopharyngitis (6.9 per cent vs. 4.0 per cent).

A 24-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Kombiglyze XR in 743 adult patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on metformin monotherapy. This study showed that patients taking Kombiglyze XR, administered as Onglyza 5 mg (saxagliptin) and metformin IR as separate tablets (n=186; baseline HbA1c 8.1%), experienced significant reductions in HbA1c of -0.7% compared to an increase of +0.1% in patients taking metformin IR plus placebo (n=175; baseline HbA1c 8.1%). HbA1c reduction with Onglyza 2.5 mg plus metformin IR (n=186; baseline HbA1c 8.1%) was -0.6% versus metformin IR plus placebo. In the study, Kombiglyze XR delivered statistically significant reductions in FPG and PPG versus metformin IR plus placebo. The proportion of patients who discontinued for lack of glycemic control or who were rescued for meeting prespecified glycemic criteria was 15% in the Onglyza 2.5 mg add-on to metformin IR group, 13% in the Onglyza 5 mg add-on to metformin IR group and 27% in the placebo add-on to metformin IR group. The incidences of reported hypoglycaemia in patients treated with Kombiglyze XR who were inadequately controlled on metformin were 5.8% for saxagliptin 5 mg plus metformin IR and 7.8% for saxagliptin 2.5 mg plus metformin IR versus 5.0% with metformin IR alone.

Kombiglyze XR addresses three key defects in type 2 diabetes, by incorporating the mechanism of saxagliptin, a DPP-4 inhibitor, with metformin, a commonly used glucose lowering agent. With the two active components, saxagliptin and metformin, Kombiglyze XR has a comprehensive mechanism of action that targets and addresses all three key defects in type 2 diabetes for improved glycemic control: increases insulin secretion in a glucose-dependent manner, decreases hepatic glucose production, and improves insulin sensitivity by increasing peripheral glucose uptake and utilization.

“Type 2 diabetes is a chronic, progressive and multi-factorial disease, and over time, patients often require more than one medication to address the multiple defects associated with the disease,” said Matthew Mintz, M.D., FACP, The George Washington University School of Medicine. “Kombiglyze XR now provides patients with the first once-a-day DPP-4 inhibitor and metformin XR combination tablet containing two complementary therapies that can improve key measures of glucose control including glycosylated haemoglobin levels, fasting plasma glucose and postprandial glucose, in a convenient once-a-day treatment regimen.”

Insulin secretagogues, such as sulfonylureas, cause hypoglycemia. Therefore, a lower dose of the insulin secretagogue may be required to reduce the risk of hypoglycaemia if used in combination with Kombiglyze XR. Hypoglycaemia does not occur in patients receiving metformin alone under usual circumstances of use, but could occur when caloric intake is deficient, when strenuous exercise is not compensated by caloric supplementation, during concomitant use with other glucose-lowering agents (such as sulfonylureas or insulin), or with use of ethanol. Elderly, debilitated or malnourished patients and those with adrenal or pituitary insufficiency or alcohol intoxication are particularly susceptible to hypoglycemic effects.

Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca entered into a collaboration in January 2007 to enable the companies to research, develop and commercialize select investigational drugs for type 2 diabetes. The Bristol-Myers Squibb/AstraZeneca Diabetes collaboration is dedicated to global patient care, improving patient outcomes and creating a new vision for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases.

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business with a primary focus on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines.