An FDA advisory panel on Friday endorsed Bristol-Myers Squibb’s and Merck’s Pargluva, developed to control blood sugar levels and cholesterol in people with Type-2 diabetes.
Members of the FDA’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs advisory committee voted 8-1 to recommend approval of Pargluva to treat Type 2 diabetes alone. The panel voted 7-2 to endorse its use alongside another treatment, metformin.
However, the panel also voted 6-3 against recommending Pargluva’s use in combination with sulfonylurea, another drug that prompts the pancreas to release more natural insulin into the bloodstream.
Although it is not required to do so, the FDA usually follows the advice of its advisory panels.