Empowering women to live healthier lives!
Call Us! 800-994-9662
Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–6 p.m. (EST)
Text size
Email
Print
FDA Approves First Combo Drug for Diabetes, Cholesterol
Juvisync combines Januvia and Zocor in one pill to lower blood sugar and bad cholesterol.
FRIDAY, Oct. 7 (HealthDay News) -- A first-of-a-kind pill that treats both type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday.
Juvisync is a prescription medication that contains two previously approved medicines, sitagliptin (Januvia) and simvastatin (Zocor). Sitagliptin helps lower blood sugar levels, and simvastatin reduces the amount of "bad" low-density lipoprotein in the blood.
The Juvisync dosage strengths approved by the FDA are 100 milligrams (mg) of sitagliptin with 10 mg, 20 mg or 40 mg of simvastatin. The drug maker -- MSD International GmbH Clonmel, Co. of Ireland -- has promised to develop Juvisync doses with 50 mg/10 mg, 50 mg/20 mg, and 50 mg/40 mg of sitagliptin/simvastatin, according to an FDA news release.
Patients who require a 50-mg dose of sitagliptin should continue to use single-ingredient sitagliptin tablets with that dose until Juvisync with 50 mg of sitagliptin is available, the FDA said.
"This is the first product to combine a type 2 diabetes drug with a cholesterol-lowering drug in one tablet," Dr. Mary H. Parks, director of the division of metabolism and endocrinology products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in the news release.
"However, to ensure safe and effective use of this product, tablets containing different doses of sitagliptin and simvastatin in fixed-dose combination have been developed to meet the different needs of individual patients. Dose selection should factor in what other drugs the patient is taking," Parks added.
The most common side effects of Juvisync include: upper respiratory infection; stuffy or runny nose and sore throat; headache, muscle and stomach pain; constipation; and nausea.
Many of the estimated 20 million people in the United States with type 2 diabetes also have high cholesterol, the FDA researchers noted. The two conditions are associated with increased risk of chronic conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and blindness.
More information
The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has more about medicines for type 2 diabetes.
(SOURCE: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, news release, Oct. 7, 2011)
Copyright © 2011 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
HealthDay news articles are derived from various sources and do not reflect federal policy. Womenshealth.gov does not endorse opinions, products, or services that may appear in news stories.
A federal government website managed by the Office on Women's Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.200 Independence Avenue, S.W. • Washington, DC 20201
202-690-7650 • Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST (closed on federal holidays).
womenshealth.gov
A federal government website managed by the Office on Women's Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
200 Independence Avenue, S.W. • Washington, DC 20201