May 2nd, 2011

FDA Approves New Drug for Type 2 Diabetes

The FDA announced today that it has approved linagliptin, a new drug for type 2 diabetes. The DPP-4 inhibitor was developed by Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim and will be sold under the brand name of Tradjenta.

Linagliptin was studied in 3,800 patients with type 2 diabetes, the FDA said, and was better than placebo in controlling glucose. The drug has been studied as monotherapy and in combination with other drugs indicated for type 2 diabetes, but its use with insulin has not been tested and it should not be used in people with type 1 diabetes.

According to the FDA, the most common side effects of the drug are upper respiratory infection, stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, and headache.

Comments are closed.