FDA approves Jentadueto™ tablets for the treatment of adult patients with type 2 diabetes

Type 2
1

PRESS RELEASE

New treatment combines DPP-4 inhibitor, linagliptin (the active ingredient in Tradjenta™ (linagliptin) tablets), and metformin in a single tablet, taken twice-daily, to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Ridgefield, Conn., and Indianapolis, Jan. 30, 2012– Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Jentadueto™ (linagliptin/metformin hydrochloride) tablets, a new tablet combining the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, linagliptin, and metformin. JENTADUETO provides a new, single-tablet treatment option, taken twice-daily, for patients who need to control their blood sugar. Linagliptin (5 mg, once-daily) is marketed in the U.S. as Tradjenta™ (linagliptin) tablets.

JENTADUETO is a prescription medication used along with diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes when treatment with both linagliptin and metformin is appropriate. At the maximum dose, JENTADUETO demonstrated placebo-corrected reductions in hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C or A1C) levels of up to 1.7 percent (+0.1 percent for placebo and -1.6 percent for JENTADUETO). A1C is measured in people with diabetes to provide an index of blood sugar control for the previous two to three months. JENTADUETO did not cause any meaningful change in body weight. JENTADUETO can be used alone or in combination with a sulfonylurea, a commonly prescribed medication for type 2 diabetes. JENTADUETO is not for the treatment of type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis (increased ketones in the blood or urine). It has not been studied in combination with insulin. The JENTADUETO label contains a boxed warning for the risk of lactic acidosis, a serious metabolic complication that can occur due to metformin accumulation during treatment with JENTADUETO.

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At a starting A1C of say, 8, a 1.7% improvement drops it down .136 points to 7.864. Such a minor improvement hardly seems worth the expense or risk of lactic acidosis.

One could probably get as much improvement out of a dozen jumping jacks or walking a single block each day.

3

so is anyone taking this new drug?
my Dr. recently prescribed this to me but as always, I am leery.

4

Oh great! Yet another drug to use. Every time I see a drug discredited, like the Actos in the above post, I think "Phew! Another one bites the dust! Maybe now T2s will get decent treatment." .... and...here it is ... another drug to test out on unwilling lab rats!
I read on here all the time that the T2 drugs are useless for LADA and T1s.... What is not mentioned is the fact that they rarely work for T2s either.
A doctor on this site once posted..."don't be the first to try a new drug". Really!...enough is enough.

5

Yep. When januvia first came out I was put on it and I felt so bad. Every time I hear of a new drug I think there goes my stomach. I will stick with metformin until I need insulin.

6

I feel the same way: metformin until I need insulin