The U.S. FDA approves Soliqua 100/33 for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes

Sanofi announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved once-daily Soliqua 100/33 (insulin glargine & lixisenatide injection) 100 Units/mL & 33 mcg/mL for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on basal insulin (less than 60 Units daily) or lixisenatide.

US FDA approval triggers a $25 million milestone payment and double-digit percentage royalties of net sales of Soliqua(TM) to Zealand.

Sanofi plans to make Soliqua available in U.S. retail pharmacies in January 2017.

Soliqua 100/33 is the combination of Lantus® (insulin glargine 100 Units/mL) and lixisenatide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, in a once-daily injection, studied in a Phase 3 program of more than 1,900 patients. In an insulin intensification study, Soliqua 100/33 showed better HbA1c (average blood sugar over time) lowering versus Lantus with a majority of the 736 patients (55% vs. 30%) achieving the American Diabetes Association target of less than 7% at 30 weeks. Patients treated with Soliqua 100/33 experienced similar rates of documented (less than or equal to 70 mg/dL) hypoglycemia compared to Lantus-treated patients. The most frequently reported adverse events included hypoglycemia, as well as nausea (10%), nasopharyngitis (7%), diarrhea (7%) and upper respiratory tract.

The combination was submitted for regulatory review in a total of 10 markets, including the EU, where the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) adopted a positive opinion for the marketing authorization of the product on November 11, 2016. It has not yet been approved for use by any health authority outside the U.S.