Zydus Cadila gets USFDA nod for diabetes pill

Pharmaceutical manufacturer Zydus Cadila said it received tentative approval from the US Food and Administration for the sales of of Sitagliptin and Metformin oral diabetes tablets that help control blood sugar levels.

Tentative approval implies that the company can launch the product only after the expiry of all patents relating to it.

The combination drug, known under the brand name of Janumet, is mainly used to treat type 2 diabetes.

While Metformin works by decreasing glucose production in the liver by absorption of glucose by intestines, Sitagliptin works by regulating the levels of insulin one’s body produces after consumption of food.

The drug will be sold in doses of 50 mg, 100 mg and 1000 mg.

With the latest nod, the company has so far received 255 approvals and filed over 350 applications for sales of various drug products.

Headquartered in Ahmedabad, Zydus Cadila has manufacturing sites and research facilities across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and even in the United States and Brazil.