AstraZeneca's diabetes drug Xigduo approved in Europe

[January 22, 2014]  LONDON (Reuters) — AstraZeneca said European regulators had approved Xigduo for type 2 diabetes, in what was the first green light for a fixed dose combination of a SGLT2 inhibitor and metformin.

The drug combines in a twice daily tablet Forxiga, a SGLT2 inhibitor that reduces the reabsorption of excess glucose, and metformin, a standard in treating the condition.

Xigduo was developed by the alliance in diabetes therapy between the British company and Bristol-Myers Squibb, the companies said on Wednesday. AstraZeneca will take full control of the unit later this quarter.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by Sarah Young)

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