New Diabetes Drug

FDA approves new type 2 diabetes treatment.
Bloomberg News (5/3, Peterson) reports, "Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) and Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH won US approval of a new drug to improve blood glucose control in people with Type 2 diabetes." The medication, Trajenta (linagliptin) was "shown to be safe and effective in eight clinical studies involving about 3,800 patients with Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease," the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.
The AP (5/3, Perrone) reports that the FDA approved the a DPP-4 inhibitor as a "stand-alone treatment or in combination with older diabetes" medications. Boehringer and Lilly "submitted eight studies of the drug that enrolled more than 3,800 patients. The drug consistently improved blood sugar control when compared to placebo. The most common side effects of the drug were respiratory infection, sore throat, muscle pain and headache."
MedPage Today (5/2, Fiore) noted that unlike the "other approved DPP-4 inhibitors sitagliptin (Januvia) and saxagliptin (Onglyza), linagliptin is not excreted through the kidneys, so it may be especially appropriate for patients who have renal problems." According to Medscape (5/2, Lowes), linagliptin, which "comes in tablet form, boosts the level of hormones that stimulate the release of insulin after a meal by blocking an enzyme called dipeptidyl peptidase-4." HealthDay (5/2) also covered the story.