WAM Washington, 15th Apr. 2014 (WAM) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Tanzeum (albiglutide) subcutaneous injection to improve glycemic control, along with diet and exercise, in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes affects approximately 24 million people and accounts for more than 90 percent of diabetes cases diagnosed in the United States. Over time, high blood sugar levels can increase the risk for serious complications, including heart disease, blindness, and nerve and kidney damage, the FDA said in a press release posted on its website.
"Tanzeum is a new treatment option for the millions of Americans living with type 2 diabetes," said Curtis Rosebraugh, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Office of Drug Evaluation II in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "It can be used alone or added to existing treatment regimens to control blood sugar levels in the overall management of diabetes." Tanzeum is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, a hormone that helps normalize blood sugar levels. The drug’s safety and effectiveness were evaluated in eight clinical trials involving more than 2,000 patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients participating in the trials showed an improvement in their HbA1c level (hemoglobin A1c or glycosylated hemoglobin, a measure of blood sugar control).
The FDA is requiring the following post-marketing studies for Tanzeum: a clinical trial to evaluate dosing, efficacy, and safety in pediatric patients; a medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) case registry of at least 15 years duration to identify any increase in MTC incidence related to Tanzeum; a cardiovascular outcomes trial (CVOT) to evaluate the cardiovascular risk of Tanzeum in patients with high baseline risk of cardiovascular disease.
In clinical trials, the most common side effects observed in patients treated with Tanzeum were diarrhea, nausea, and injection site reactions.
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