A combo treatment of metformin and canagliflozin was more effective for blood sugar control than either of the drugs individually, according to a recent study conducted by the research arm of drugmaker Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
The Phase III study tracked 1,186 people with Type 2 diabetes across 12 countries and 158 medical centers for 26 weeks; none of the group had started diabetes drug therapy prior to the study. Researchers gave study participants either canagliflozin and metformin, canagliflozin on its own, or metformin on its own. Those taking canagliflozin either took 100 mg or 300 mg of the drug.
The best blood sugar control was achieved when both drugs were used, regardless of the canagliflozin dose. Study participants on the combo therapy had either a 1.77 or 1.78 reduction in their A1C scores. That represents a 0.41 improvement over the average A1C reduction of the other study treatment options.
Metformin is the most common drug used in diabetes treatments, while canagliflozin is a bit newer treatment option. In 2014, Janssen Pharmaceuticals received FDA approval for INVOKAMET, a combo therapy of the two drugs.
