Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca’s Forxiga receives NICE backing

Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca have received a recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for the diabetes drug Forxiga.

The dapagliflozin therapy has been endorsed in final NICE guidance published this week for use in combination with the blood sugar-lowering drug metformin, if it is used as described for DPP4-inhibitors.

Forxiga has also been endorsed for use in combination with insulin as an option for treating type 2 diabetes.

The availability of new therapies for those who need to take more than one medication to help control their blood sugar is particularly important given the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the UK population.

Professor Carole Longson, director for the Health Technology Evaluation Centre at NICE, said: "NICE is pleased to recommend dapagliflozin in combination therapy for some people with type 2 diabetes, which will provide another treatment option for this condition."

Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca have been collaborating on the development of diabetes therapies since 2007.