Regulators in Europe have given the green light to Johnson & Johnson’s new diabetes therapy Vokanamet.
The European Commission has approved Vokanamet, a fixed-dose therapy combining Invokana (canagliflozin) and metformin. The former, a member of a new class of drugs known as sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, was approved in Europe as a single agent in November last year.
J&J’s Janssen unit quoted Guntram Schernthaner of the Rudolfstiftung Hospital in Austria as saying that the approval of Vokanamet is very welcome news as many patients struggle to achieve and maintain long-term glycaemic control. The combo, which is taken twice-daily, “provides added convenience to diabetes management, particularly to those patients who may benefit from two diabetes medications in one tablet,” he added.
The Vokanamet thumbs-up was expected, given that the Europeam Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use recommended approval for the combo in February.
