Boehringer Ingelheim diabetes drug Jentadueto approved in EU

Boehringer Ingelheim's new combination therapy for type 2 diabetes Jentadueto has been ratified for sale by the European Commission.

The EU body has granted the new drug a marketing authorisation for use as a single-tablet treatment option taken twice daily among adult patients.

Jentadueto combines the DPP-4 inhibitor linagliptin and metformin hydrochloride in a single tablet and has been shown to improve glycaemic control when taken alongside a healthy diet and exercise regime.

Clinical trials have confirmed the safety and efficacy of the drug, with data showing that it was able to deliver statistically significant benefits, while adverse events were uncommon.

Professor Klaus Dugi, corporate senior vice-president for medicine at Boehringer Ingelheim, said: "Linagliptin/metformin hydrochloride offers a simplified, single tablet dosing option to improve glycaemic control, with a favourable side effect profile."

Earlier this week, the company announced the acquisition of Funxional Therapeutics' FX125L compound and somatotaxin programme, which will form the basis of new inflammatory disease research.