AstraZeneca Plc (LON:AZN), a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company, announced on Friday that approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Qternmet XR (dapagliflozin, saxagliptin and metformin hydrochloride) extended release tablets as an oral adjunct treatment to diet and exercise to improve glycaemic control in adults with type-2 diabetes (T2D).

Reportedly, this approval is based on two phase III trials, which evaluated combinations of dapagliflozin and saxagliptin on a background of metformin over 24 weeks, in patients with inadequately-controlled T2D.

According to the company, in one trial, treatment with 5mg dapagliflozin/5mg saxagliptin in addition to metformin demonstrated statistically-significant decreases in HbA1c (average blood glucose levels), and an increase in the number of patients achieving the recommended HbA1c treatment goal of