Linagliptin blood sugar tablets for diabetes approved in the US

Thu, 05 May 2011
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has approved linagliptin (to be sold as Tradjenta) tablets that are taken to control blood sugar in adults suffering from type 2 diabetes in combination with exercise and diet .

Tests on the drug, manufactured by Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, showed that linagliptin was able to lower levels of haemoglobin A1C by up to 0.7 per cent as compared with a placebo. The haemoglobin A1C test measures the ability of diabetes patients to manage their blood sugar levels over the previous two or three months.

Linagliptin, which is a DPP-4 (dipeptidyl peptidase-4) inhibitor, can be taken with or without food, and on its own or together with metformin, pioglitazone or sulfonylurea, but is not advised for those who have type 1 diabetes of diabetic ketoacidosis, and it has not been trialled in combination with insulin .

John Gerich, professor of medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, commented "Many people with type 2 diabetes are not able to control their blood sugar with diet and exercise alone and may also require one or more medications."

He added "The FDA approval of Tradjenta is exciting because there is only one dose to remember for all patients, regardless of kidney or liver impairment. With Tradjenta, physicians will have another option for managing type 2 diabetes, a potentially devastating condition."

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