Nod given for new drug to control Type 2 diabetes

Januvia (sitagliptin), a new oral diabetes drug, has been approved by China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) for distribution in the Chinese market.

Pan Changyu, a well-established endocrinologist with the Beijing-based General Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, said the drug, developed by pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co Inc, is the first approved in a new class of so-called DPP-4 inhibitors.

Unlike insulin therapy, which helps regulate blood sugar by injections, the once-a-day pill for people with Type 2 diabetes, the most common form, works by increasing the body's own ability to bring down blood-sugar levels, and reduces the risk of hypoglycemia and weight gain.