New Medication for Diabetes Approved by FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just approved a new drug for type 2 diabetes, known as dapaglifozin. This product helps to improve the glycemic levels in the patient's body. The drug is the second to come out in a new class of medications marketed under the name Farxiga.

Dapaglifozin works to block reabsorpable glucose levels in the kidney while also increase the excretion of glucose found in urine.

With its approval, this drug will join a wide range of diabetes medications including metformin, glimepiride, pioglitazone, sitagliptin and insulin. As patients with Type 2 diabetes are more prone to developing certain complications related to cardiovascular issues, this new drug will provide help for heart issues that often go along as a complication of this disease. 

The FDA also approved the use of canagliflozin in March of last year as the first in this new class of medications. Health officials hope that more similar drugs can come out of this approval, according to various reports.

The LA Times notes that clinical trials, which lead to the FDA approval, showed that more patients taking dapagliflozin had improvements in blood sugar levels than those who took the placebo group.

However, the FDA has asked for additional studies in order to demonstrate the drug's ability to drive down certain risks.