AstraZeneca-Bristol drug just as effective as generic on market, trial results show

STOCKHOLM An investigational diabetes drug works as well as a generic already on the market, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial announced Friday by AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

The two companies said phase-3 trial results showed that their investigational drug dapagliflozin combined with the widely available generic metformin was as effective as glipizide combined with metformin, compared with metformin alone. In addition, patients in the dapagliflozin group experienced weight loss, compared with weight gain in those taking glipizide, as well as a reduced number of patients experiencing abnormally low blood sugar, known as hypoglycemia.

Results from the study were presented at the 46th annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.