New trial for diabetes drug dapagliflozin

The giant biopharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb has published new trial data for its drug dapagliflozi, which is being developed to treat type 2 diabetes . The phase III clinical trial data has underscored the effectiveness of the drug, which could be positive news for diabetics, especially as many suffer from co-morbidities in addition to problems with their blood sugar levels .
The trial, which involved giving dapagliflozin in combination with metformin to 814 adult patients over a year-long period, to compare the efficacy of the therapy with a regimen of glipizide plus metformin. It was shown that the dapagliflozin treatment was non-inferior in improving glycosylated haemoglobin levels, and that it also offered superior performance in terms of bringing down body weight .
Dr Michael Nauck, lead investigator of the research, and head of the Diabetes Center in Bad Lauterberg, Germany, said “We are pleased to see the results from this phase III study found that dapagliflozin plus metformin compared favourably to glipizide plus metformin.”
Bristol-Myers Squibb, in conjunction with development partner AstraZenecan, have also recently reported more trial results for dapagliflozi, which showed that the drug had benefits over its competitor glimepiride .