new Diabetes drug achieves a goal in final stage study
An experimental medicine against Bristol-Myers Squibb and Astrazeneca diabetes fulfilled its central objective in a final stage study, by achieving important decreases in glucosylated hemoglobin levels.
When adding to the common drug for metformin diabetes, the new medicine called dapagliflozine reduced glucosylated hemoglobin levels - an indicator of glucose levels - and fasting plasma glucose in fasting in patients with type 2 diabetes, after 24 weeks.
These results imply that the new medication fulfilled its main and high school.
These are the first advanced phase studies data on the daily dapagliflozine pill, a member of the drug class known as SGLT2 inhibitors and designed to block the reabsorption of glucose, in order to reduce high blood sugar levels.
If approved, the medicine could be the first of its class to reach the market.The companies indicated that they would request approval of the health regulators at the end of 2010 or the beginning of 2011.
In a note spread earlier this week, Jefferies analysts estimated sales for up to 1.5 billion dollars, although they said they were cautious due to possible security problems, since the drug generates a lot of pressure on the kidney, and due to the lack of informationIn the long term.
"We have not seen anything to worry," William Mezzanotte, Global Product Director of Astra, told Reuters."We trust that we can continue safely with this medicine," he added.
The essay, whose results were presented at a meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, compared the most metformin dapagliflozine with more metformin placebo.
Around 246 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes.Most have the type 2 of the disease, which is intimately related to poor diet and lack of exercise.
The study evaluated results of 546 patients from 18 to 77 years who had poorly controlled type 2 diabetes with the use of only metformin.
Astra agreed in January 2007 to help develop and sell Dapagliflozina and a second medication for Bristol diabetes, in a treatment that could provide the company based in New York more than 1,000 million dollars.
