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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Food and Drug Administration says it has approved a new diabetes pill from Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly for patients who can't control their blood sugar with older medicines.
The agency approved Tradjenta tablets for adults with type 2 diabetes, which affects 24 million people in the United States. The drug, also known as linagliptin, is one of at least two oral diabetes treatments Indianapolis-based Lilly has under development in a partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim.
People with the disease have trouble breaking down carbohydrates, because their bodies have become resistant to the protein insulin. They are at higher risk for heart attacks, kidney problems, blindness and other serious complications.
Tradjenta works by blocking the DPP-4 enzyme, which releases insulin-boosting hormones that help control blood sugar levels. Merck and Bristol-Myers Squibb already market similar drugs in the U.S.
The FDA approved the drug as a stand-alone treatment or in combination with older diabetes drugs like metformin.
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