The FINANCIAL — Sanofi announced on February 26 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Toujeo (insulin glargine [rDNA origin] injection, 300 U/mL), a once-daily long-acting basal insulin, to improve glycemic control in adults living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Toujeo is expected to be available in the U.S. at the beginning of Q2 2015.
“Sanofi is proud of its long heritage in diabetes and insulin therapies, including Lantus which has supported patients in the management of their diabetes for more than a decade. With the FDA approval of Toujeo, Sanofi builds on its strong legacy and looks forward to bringing a new treatment option to people living with diabetes,” said Pierre Chancel, Senior VP, Global Diabetes, Sanofi.
The approval of Toujeo was based on FDA review of results from the EDITION clinical trial program, which was comprised of a series of international Phase III studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of Toujeo in more than 3,500 adults from broad and diverse diabetes populations (type 1 and type 2). In the clinical trial program leading to approval, once-daily Toujeo was compared to that of once-daily Lantus (insulin glargine [rDNA origin] injection, 100 U/mL) in open-label, randomized, active-control, parallel, treat-to-target studies of up to 26 weeks of duration with 6 months safety extension, according to Sanofi.
“Nearly 50 percent of people living with diabetes remain uncontrolled,” said John Anderson, MD, internal medicine and diabetes specialist, Frist Clinic of Nashville, TN, and Past President of the American Diabetes Association. “Despite the proven efficacy of insulin, ensuring effective titration and maintenance can be a challenge for both patients and healthcare professionals due to hypoglycemia concerns. Toujeo provides a new option that may help patients manage their diabetes.”
All studies of the EDITION program successfully met the primary study endpoints by demonstrating similar blood sugar control with Toujeo as compared to Lantus.1,2 The most common adverse events (excluding hypoglycemia) reported for Toujeo included nasopharyngitis (12.8% in type 1 patients and 7.1% in type 2 patients) and upper respiratory tract infection (9.5% in type 1 patients and 5.7% in type 2 patients).
Toujeo’s Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) information and its rates of severe and documented symptomatic hypoglycemia can be found in the label, according to Sanofi.
Toujeo will be available in the Toujeo SoloSTAR, a disposable prefilled pen which contains 450 units of Toujeo and requires one third of the injection volume to deliver the same number of insulin units as compared to the Lantus SoloSTAR. The maximum single injection dose of 80 IU meets the needs of the vast majority of patients on basal insulin in the U.S., who require 80 IU or less per day. Toujeo is currently pending marketing authorization with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and other health authorities around the world.
About Toujeo
Prescription Toujeo is a long-acting insulin used to treat adults with type 2 and type 1 diabetes for the control of high blood sugar. It should be taken once a day at the same time each day to lower blood glucose.
Do not use Toujeo to treat diabetic ketoacidosis.
Important Safety Information for Toujeo (insulin glargine [rDNA origin] injection)
300 Units/mL (U-300)
Do not take Toujeo during episodes of low blood sugar or if you are allergic to insulin or any of the inactive ingredients in Toujeo. Toujeo is not approved for use in people under the age of 18.
Do not share needles, insulin pens or syringes with others. Do NOT reuse needles.
You must test your blood sugar levels daily while using any insulin, including Toujeo. Do not make any changes to your dose or type of insulin without talking to your healthcare provider. Toujeo contains 300 units per milliliter (300 U/mL). You should always verify that you have the correct insulin before each injection. Your dose for Toujeo may be different from other insulins you have taken. Any change of insulin should be made cautiously and only under medical supervision.
Do NOT dilute or mix Toujeo with any other insulin or solution. It will not work as intended and you may lose blood sugar control, which could be serious. Toujeo must only be used if the solution is clear and colorless with no particles visible.
Tell your doctor about other medicines, especially ones commonly called TZDs (thiazolidinediones), and supplements you are taking because they can change the way insulin works. Before starting Toujeo, tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you have liver or kidney problems, are pregnant or planning to become, pregnant, or are breast-feeding or planning to breast-feed. If you have heart failure, it may get worse while taking TZDs with Toujeo.
The most common side effect of any insulin, including Toujeo, is low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which may be serious and can be life-threatening. Symptoms of serious low blood sugar may include shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat and blurred vision. Severe hypoglycemia may cause harm to your heart or brain. Other possible side effects may include swelling, weight gain and allergic reactions. In rare cases, some allergic reactions may be life-threatening. Injection site reactions are also possible and may include changes in fat tissue at the injection site, skin thickening, redness, swelling and itching.
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