AstraZeneca announced that the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has issued positive advice for use of its Forxiga, a selective and reversible inhibitor of sodium-glucose co-transporter-2, as part of a triple therapy regimen for type 2 diabetes.
The SMC has issued guidance stating that AstraZeneca’s Forxiga (dapagliflozin) is now accepted for restricted use within NHS Scotland as part of a triple therapy in combination with metformin and sulphonylurea, as an alternative to dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors.
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Forxiga is indicated for adults aged 18 years and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus to improve glycaemic control as add-on combination therapy in combination with other glucose-lowering medicinal products including insulin, when these, together with diet and exercise, do not provide adequate glycaemic control.
AstraZeneca UK and Ireland president Lisa Anson said that: "Over 66,000 prescriptions have been written for dapagliflozin since it was launched in the UK last year and this latest decision by the SMC means that more patients will be able to access it through NHS Scotland.
"Dapagliflozin is the only SGLT2 inhibitor that has this level of real-world patient experience in the UK, as well as clinical data showing significant reductions in blood sugar, weight and rates of hypoglycaemia over four years."
Dapagliflozin is administered as one 10mg tablet once-daily and can be taken at any time of day, with or without food and no requirement for titration.
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By GlobalDataSMC had previously accepted dapagliflozin for use as dual therapy in combination with metformin, when metformin alone with diet and exercise does not provide adequate glycaemic control and a sulphonylurea is inappropriate.
The SMC had also accepted dapagliflozin for use in combination with insulin, when insulin with diet and exercise, does not provide adequate glycaemic control.
Image: The AstraZeneca R&D facility in Mölndal, Sweden. Photo: courtesy of Erik031.
