AstraZeneca launches breakthrough medication

CEBU, Philippines - Recognizing the difficulties being experienced by adult patients with Type 2 diabetes, pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, has developed a new oral medication that will aid Filipinos with Diabetes manage their situation better.

“With patients continually struggling to manage diabetes despite available treatments, our commitment in AstraZeneca is to discover and develop innovative medicines that will address the unmet needs of these patients, ” says Dr. Chinnie Tan-Pineda, Medical and Regulatory Affairs Director of AstraZeneca Philippines.

The oral medication, Dapagliflozin, developed by AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, is a selective and reversible inhibitor of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) that works independently of insulin to help flush out surplus sugar, thus reducing blood sugar levels

The breakthrough in the product lies in its ability to lower blood glucose levels by filtering glucose out from the body through urine, removing accompanying calories as well.

“This novel drug works in the kidneys. Instead of the kidney being the victim of diabetes, the kidney can now be seen as a therapeutic target,” shared Prof. Merlin Thomas, Physician Scientist at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia.

The unique mode of action the new drug offers is the first of its kind and not seen among current available treatments for type 2 diabetes. This is the first medicine in the new SGLT2 class to gain regulatory approval in the world, granted by the European Medicines Agency. Dapagliflozin has been subsequently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and is also approved in 40 countries including Australia.

The novel drug is to be used as a supplement to diet and exercise to improve blood glucose control alone, or in combinations with other oral glucose-lowering medicinal products, such as metformin as well as insulin.

“The Dapagliflozin of AstraZeneca is one of the few drugs that offer an important new complementary action to help patients with Type 2 Diabetes. With this novel drug, Filipinos will be able to control their sugar level better, manage their weight, and also reduce their blood pressure,” says Prof. Stephan Matthaei, Director of the Diabetes, Metabolism and Endocrinology Center, Quakenbrück Hospital, Quakenbrück, Germany.

The breakthrough is just the first step in addressing the growing silent epidemic in the country. AstraZeneca continues to research and innovate to provide better treatment options for healthcare professionals and their patients. (FREEMAN)