AstraZeneca announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion on a Type-II variation update for Bydureon (exenatide extended-release), to include in the European label cardiovascular (CV) data from the EXSCEL (EXenatide Study of Cardiovascular Event Lowering) trial in adults with type-2 diabetes at a wide range of CV risk.
In EXSCEL, Bydureon did not increase the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), a composite endpoint of CV death, non-fatal heart attack (myocardial infarction) or non-fatal stroke, compared to placebo (Hazard Ratio [HR]: 0.91; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.83-1.00; p<0.001 for non-inferiority). Although the primary efficacy objective of a superior reduction in MACE narrowly missed statistical significance (p=0.061), there were fewer CV events observed in the Bydureon arm of the trial (839 [11.4%] versus 905 [12.2%]). The prespecified secondary analysis on all-cause mortality has also been accepted for inclusion in the European label. Patients on Bydureon had a 14% lower incidence of all-cause mortality compared to usual care alone (HR: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.77-0.97).
Elisabeth Björk, Vice President, Head of Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Diseases, Global Medicines Development at AstraZeneca said: “We are pleased with this positive recommendation for Bydureon and what it means for patients with type-2 diabetes with a wide range of cardiovascular risk. Our pursuit of this label is based on our strong belief in the clinical value the EXSCEL data brings to physicians and patients.”