Diabetes drug delayed for Europe

Pharmaceutical company Takeda are seeking to delay the European approval of key diabetes drug alogliptin. The company needs further time – a proposed two years – to gather more data about the diabetes drug to concrete its efficacy. The drug company has already faced a delay by the Food and Drug Administratio, who have called for more data to review the drug.
Alogliptin is being heralded as the successor to top Takeda seller Actos. The drug, which has been extremely successful for Takeda, will lose US patent protection in 2011. Alogliptin is part of a new class of diabetic drugs, categorised as DPP-4 inhibitors. At this stage, Januvia (Merck) is the only drug in this class to be approved.
Takeda will now launch an additional two year study involing almost 2,500 people with type 2 diabetes . Study respondents will include those whose blood glucose control does not respond well to metformin .