Invokana is Approved in Europe – An Exciting Year for SGLT-2s
By Adam Brown
On November 22, J&J/Janssen Cilags’ SGLT-2 inhibitor Invokana (canagliflozin) was approved in Europe. This makes Invokana the second SGLT-2 inhibitor approved in Europe, following BMS/AZ's Forxiga (dapagliflozin), which received approval in November 2012. Farxiga (the US name for Forxiga) was just approved in the US on January 8, 2014. Invokana and Farxiga are oral drugs that lower blood glucose by excreting excess glucose through urine. Invokana has been approved in the US since March 2013. This has been an exciting year for the brand new SGLT-2 inhibitor drug class, given the launch of Invokana in the US this past spring, the launch of Forxiga in Europe in December 2012, and the approval of Farxiga this January in the US. For more on Invokana, see our article on the US approval and our accompanying learning curve. –TW/AB
