AstraZeneca receives expanded Scottish approval for Onglyza

AstraZeneca has announced that the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has issued advice accepting its diabetes drug Onglyza in an expanded indication for NHS Scotland usage.

The DPP-4 inhibitor can now be utilised as a combination therapy with insulin for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes. It can be prescribed with insulin with or without metformin when this regimen alone, with diet and exercise, does not provide adequate glycaemic control.

It marks the first time the SMC has accepted a DPP-4 inhibitor therapy in this combination with insulin for use by NHS Scotland, providing patients with a wider choice of potential therapy options.

There are approximately 221,500 people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in Scotland, with a further 43,000 undiagnosed. Approximately 16,800 new cases are diagnosed each year.

Lisa Anson, president of AstraZeneca in the UK and Ireland, said: "Saxagliptin is an important asset in our diabetes portfolio and, as with all our medicines, we work hard to ensure that as many appropriate patients as possible have access to it."

This comes after the firm received a recommendation for EU approval of its new ovarian cancer therapy Lynparza last month.