Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly are celebrating after getting the green light in the USA for their diabetes combination Glyxambi.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved Glyxambi, which combines Jardiance (empagliflozin) with Trajenta (linagliptin). It is the first treatment in the USA to combine the dual mechanisms of action of a sodium glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor (Jardiance) and a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor in a once-daily tablet, to be taken in the morning.
SGLT2 inhibitors remove glucose through the urine by blocking blood glucose re-absorption in the kidney, while DPP-4 inhibitors increase hormones that stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin and stimulate the liver to produce less glucose.
Paul Fonteyne, president of Boehringer’s US subsidiary, said that with the dual inhibition of DPP-4 and SGLT2, “two proven targets in the treatment of type 2 diabetes,” now provides an option “to simultaneously address multiple pathways to improve glycaemic control”. Mike Mason, head of Lilly Diabetes in the USA, added that half of people with type 2 diabetes do not achieve recommended blood sugar control, claiming that approval of this first-in-class medicine “is also a testament to our alliance’s commitment” to the disease.
