AstraZeneca announces that the European Medicines Agency has accepted the Marketing Authorisation Variation for Forxiga (dapagliflozin), a selective SGLT-2 inhibitor, for use as an oral adjunct treatment to insulin in adults with type-1 diabetes (T1D).

The submission acceptance is based on Phase III data from the DEPICT (Dapagliflozin Evaluation in Patients with Inadequately Controlled Type 1 Diabetes) clinical programme for Forxiga in T1D. The short-term (24 week) and long-term (52 week) data from DEPICT-1, along with the short-term data from DEPICT-2, showed that Forxiga, when given as an oral adjunct to adjustable insulin in patients with inadequately-controlled T1D, demonstrated significant and clinically-relevant reductions from baseline in HbA1c, weight and total daily insulin dose at 24 and 52 weeks, compared to placebo, at both 5 mg and 10 mg doses.

The safety profile of Forxigain the DEPICT clinical programme to date is consistent with its established profile in type-2 diabetes (T2D), with the exception of a higher number of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) events in dapagliflozin-treated patients versus placebo in these T1D studies. DKA is a known complication for patients with diabetes that affects those with T1D more frequently than with T2D.

According to the company’s press release, Forxiga has the potential to become the first selective SGLT-2 inhibitor approved in Europe for the treatment of T1D as an oral treatment adjunct to insulin, helping to address a significant unmet need in this patient population. Forxiga is not currently licensed for use in T1D.