DAPAGLIFLOZIN…FDA approves AZ diabetes drug Farxiga

DAPAGLIFLOZIN, BMS-512148

The US Food and Drug Administration has finally approved AstraZeneca’s diabetes drug Farxiga but is insisting on six post-marketing studies, including a cardiovascular outcomes trial.

The approval was expected given that the agency’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 13-1 last month that the benefits of Farxiga (dapagliflozin), already marketed in Europe as Forxiga, outweigh identified risks. The FDA rejected the drug in January 2012 due to concerns about possible liver damage and the potential link with breast and bladder cancer.