The FINANCIAL — Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) announced on December 22 that an additional indication of concomitant therapy with biguanides for ACTOS (pioglitazone hydrochloride), medicine for type 2 diabetes, was approved on December 22 by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
ACTOS directly targets insulin resistance, a condition characterized in patients with type 2 diabetes, by improving the sensitivity to insulin mainly in the muscles, fat cells and the liver. Biguanides act primarily by reducing the amount of glucose produced by the liver.
In a randomized, double-blind, comparative study, in which the clinical usefulness of biguanides monotherapy was compared with that of ACTOS/biguanides concomitant therapy, the latter showed a statistically significant difference in improving HbA1c –an indicator of glycemic control– without increasing the risk of hypoglycemia. In addition to the currently authorized concomitant therapy with sulfonylurea or alpha-GI, this additional indication for ACTOS of concomitant therapy with biguanides provides a further option to pursue superior glycemic control.
Takeda will continue to earnestly promote development activities that offer a variety of treatment option to patients with type 2 diabetes and also to the healthcare providers.
