Scottish diabetes patients given access to new drug treatment Lyxumia

The use of a new once-daily treatment for type 2 diabetes has been approved for patients in Scotland.
Doctors in the country are now able to prescribe Lyxumia (generic name lixisenatide) on the health service to certain people suffering from type 2 diabetes after the injectable medication was given the green light by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC).
According to new guidance from the medicines watchdog, it is recommended for patients who are unable to achieve adequate blood glucose control with existing drug treatments, combined with regular exercise and healthy eating.
The approval follows positive results from a series of clinical studies involving 5000 diabetic participants. The results showed that adding Lyxumia to insulin or taking it alongside other oral glucose-lowering drugs improved participants’ blood sugar control and also reduced their body weight.
In addition, it was well-tolerated, with mild nausea and vomiting being the most common side effects.
The SMC approval is also based on the fact that the Sanofi-produced Lyxumia is less expensive than other similar diabetes medicines. At a cost of around £1.90 per daily dose, it is estimated that up to 35% more type 2 diabetes patients in Scotland could be treated with the same NHS budget.
Caroline Horwood, Sanofi diabetes division director, said: “Lyxumia is another step forward in our efforts to develop therapeutic solutions that improve outcomes for people with Type 2 diabetes, an area of significant un-met medical need.”
While available in Scotland, the drug is yet to be approved by watchdogs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.