Sanofi Drug Cuts Blood Sugar More Than Merck's

By Peter Geschek: Invokana The FDA has just approved Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ) Invokana (previously known as canagliflozin), a once-a-day pill to improve glycemic (blood sugar) control in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Joseph Krueger submits: Last week, Sanofi-Aventis (SNY) confirmed that it is on the prowl for diabetes partnerships.

EP Vantage submits:Novo Nordisk (NVO) could not have done much more in its quest to prove that degludec, its new long-lasting insulin, is better than Sanofi-Aventis’s (SNY) $5bn-a-year Lantus.

The Burrill Report submits: The long road to approval for Mannkind's (MNKD) Afrezza inhaled insulin got a little longer March 15, as the FDA asked for more information to support its review of the drug. Afrezza is a powdered insulin for helping adult patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus control high blood glucose, also known as hyperglycemia, which is a major cause of diabetes-related complications. An FDA decision on the drug was initially expected by January 16.

By Peter Geschek: LY2963016 vs Lantus

EP Vantage submits:In another example of a major global pharmaceutical company promising a hefty sum to a tiny biotech for an early-stage pipeline product, Sanofi-Aventis (SNY) has licensed from CureDM a human proislet peptide (HIP), Pancreate, for up to $335m in milestones plus royalties.

Data from advanced clinical studies of a new type of diabetes drug being developed by a unit of Johnson & Johnson showed it reduced a measure of blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes.

By Jessica King Holden: Today's Diabetes Drug Market