AstraZeneca to present comprehensive data from its diabetes portfolio and pre-clinical research at EASD 2015

Friday, 11 September 2015

AstraZeneca today announced that 54 abstracts from the company’s research and development in diabetes will be presented at the 51st Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Stockholm, Sweden, 14-18 September 2015.

The presentations will include data on a number of approved products for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, including Forxiga^® (dapagliflozin), Onglyza^® (saxagliptin), Bydureon^® (once-weekly exenatide extended-release for injectable suspension) and Byetta^® (exenatide) injection, as well as data on the investigational combination of saxagliptin and dapagliflozin, which is currently being reviewed by the regulatory authorities in the US and EU. Additionally, several abstracts representing AstraZeneca’s early stage and pre-clinical research explore novel pathways and modalities to address the underlying pathophysiology of diabetes.

Elisabeth Björk, Vice President, Head of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, Global Medicines Development, said: “The breadth and depth of research we’re presenting at EASD demonstrates our continuous commitment to developing innovative diabetes treatments. We believe these data reinforce our focus to help healthcare providers and patients with type 2 diabetes reach treatment goals sooner.”

Data assessing patient benefit and effects of combination treatment approaches as well as additional effects in addition to HbA1c reduction:

• Nationwide study examining patient characteristics, treatment and prevalence/ incidence of the type 2 diabetes population in Sweden (Poster #360, Tuesday 15 September, 12:30-13:30 CET)
• Evaluation of HbA1c and weight reductions in T2D patients initiating dapagliflozin treatment in routine UK primary care (Poster #737, Tuesday 15 September, 13:45-14:45 CET)
• Comparison of the safety of triple therapy with saxagliptin and dapagliflozin add-on to metformin versus sequential add-on (Poster #741, Wednesday 16 September, 12:30-13:30 CET)
• German study evaluating the treatment characteristics and outcomes associated with sulphonylurea vs. metformin in incident T2D patients (Oral #130, Wednesday 16 September, 16:00-17:30 CET)
• Effects of dapagliflozin on albuminuria in hypertensive diabetic patients (Oral #185, Thursday September 17, 15:30-17:00 CET)

Real-world and pooled data investigating long-term effects and patient experience to further develop the clinical profile of our medicines:

• Comparison of upper GI adverse events between long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonists and short-acting GLP-1 receptor agonists (Oral #15, Tuesday 15 September, 10:45-12:15 CET)
• Pooled analysis of three trials evaluating the three-year efficacy and safety of once-weekly exenatide (Poster #770, Tuesday 15 September, 12:30-13:30 CET)
• Analysis of dapagliflozin effects on long-term HbA1c improvements and weight (Poster #740, Wednesday 16 September, 12:30-13:30 CET)
• Comparison of patient adherence with exenatide once-weekly versus liraglutide once-daily (Poster #795, Wednesday 16 September, 13:45-14:45 CET)

Investigational new data exploring novel pathways, underlying mechanisms and treatment approaches:

• Effects of beta-3 agonism on total body weight and glucose tolerance (Oral #23, Tuesday 15 September, 10:45-12:15 CET)
• Study examining the effects of combined treatment with saxagliptin and dapagliflozin on beta cell function and insulin levels (Poster #731, Tuesday 15 September, 13:45-14:45 CET)
• Effects of a novel MCH receptor 1 agonist on insulin resistance in pre-clinical modeling (Poster #655, Wednesday 16 September, 13:45-14:45 CET)
• Assessment of dapagliflozin effects on glucagon secretion in murine alpha-cells (Oral # 183, Thursday 17 September, 15:30-17:00 CET)

The complete list of AstraZeneca data presentations can be accessed on the EASD website here.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

About Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease characterised by high blood glucose levels, or hyperglycaemia, which results from the body’s ineffective use of insulin. It comprises 90% of people with diabetes around the world and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and kidney failure. It is estimated to affect more than 382 million people worldwide and is projected to reach more than 592 million people by 2035. Approximately 77% of people with diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries and 179 million people with diabetes are undiagnosed. It is estimated that more than half of people living with type 2 diabetes are not achieving recommended HbA1c goals based on guidelines established by professional societies and advocacy organisations for diabetes management. The costs and consequences of diabetes are immense globally, resulting in at least USD 612 billion dollars in healthcare expenditures and causing 4.9 million deaths – one person every seven seconds – in 2014.

About AstraZeneca in Diabetes

AstraZeneca is pushing the boundaries of science to create life-changing medicines that aim to reduce the global burden and complications of diabetes. Driven to redefine outcomes for diabetes patients, our current portfolio consists of the three newest classes of non-insulin, anti-diabetic treatments that support individualised treatment approaches: SGLT-2 inhibitors, GLP-1 receptor agonists and DPP-4 inhibitors. Our commitment to diabetes is exemplified by the depth and breadth of our global clinical research programme. This commitment is advancing understanding of the treatment effects of our diabetes medicines in broad patient populations, as well as exploring combination treatment approaches resulting in more patients achieving treatment success earlier in their disease progression. Our ambition is to reduce the long-term impact of diabetes. As a core strategic area for the company, we are focusing our research and development efforts in diverse populations and patients with significant co-morbidities, such as cardiovascular disease, heart failure, obesity, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and chronic kidney disease.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, inflammation, autoimmune, oncology, infection and neuroscience diseases. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. For more information please visit: www.astrazeneca.com.

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