Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim have announced Jentadueto tablets are now available by prescription in pharmacies across the U.S. Jentadueto is a new prescription medication for type 2 diabetes patients who need to control their blood sugar. Jentadueto is a twice daily medication combining two diabetes medicines — the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, linagliptin and metformin — in one tablet. Linagliptin is marketed in the U.S. as Tradjenta 5mg once-daily tablets. Jentadueto was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 30, 2012, as a prescription medicine used along with diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes when treatment with both linagliptin and metformin is appropriate. Jentadueto is not for the treatment of type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis (increased ketones in the blood or urine) and it has not been studied in combination with insulin. The product label contains a boxed warning for the risk of lactic acidosis, a serious metabolic complication that can occur due to metformin accumulation during treatment with Jentadueto .
Jentadueto provides physicians with options to adjust the metformin dosing based on effectiveness and tolerability. It is available in three dosage strengths, taken twice daily: 2.5 mg linagliptin/500 mg metformin hydrochloride; 2.5 mg linagliptin/850 mg metformin hydrochloride; and 2.5 mg linagliptin/1000 mg metformin hydrochloride. Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly are actively working with insurance companies on formulary coverage to have Jentadueto reimbursed at a co-pay level similar to other preferred branded products.
In addition, the Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation Patient Assistance Programs make Boehringer Ingelheim medicines, including Jentadueto , available free of charge to patients who are without pharmaceutical insurance coverage, and who meet certain household income levels and eligibility requirements.
