Sensational diabetes drug Januvia (Merck), the first in a new class of drugs called DPP-4 inhibitors, has been approved for release in America by the Food and Drug Administration .
The FDA made their decision following clinical trials proving that the new pill is just as effective as older diabetic treatments, without any side effects. This includes weight gain, a key consideration for many diabetics .
An expert from the FDA Office of Drug Evaluatio, Dr. Robert Meyer, claimed that Januvia was a ‘useful addition’ for diabetics in the fight against their disease. “Not everybody optimally responds to each medication, or not everybody can tolerate each medication. Having a new drug in a new class for such a widely prevalent disease is important.”
However, the new diabetes treatment is likely to be far more expensive than common generic diabetes drugs. It is expected that manufacturer Merck will charge as much as $4.86 for a once-daily tablet, whereas many of the more common older diabetic drugs cost just 50 cents for a daily dose.
Overwhelmingly though, the situation is positive. Dr. Stuart Weiss of the New York University School of Medicine reportedly said: “In the way the diabetes story is being played out, we are beginning to have agents that are allowing us to have some control over blood sugars without weight gain. That is the excitement about these products .”
