Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, has announced the nationwide availability of Riomet (metformin HCl oral solution) 500mg/5mL, the first and only liquid form of metformin) in the United States market.
Metformin is the number one prescribed oral treatment for Type 2 diabetes, the seventh leading cause of death in United States, the company, based in Jacksonville, Florida, said on Tuesday.
Dr Andrew Drexler, a leading New York City diabetologist and Associate Professor of the New York University School of Medicine, said, "I routinely prescribe metformin to my diabetes patients. Riomet will allow me to provide them with a liquid alternative of metformin, which may improve compliance among my patients who cannot or prefer not to swallow a pill."
As a liquid form of metformin, Riomet may significantly improve lives of people with diabetes who are unable to swallow tablets, a condition known as dysphagia.
Jeffrey Thomas, vice-president, brand marketing and sales at Ranbaxy USA Inc., an affiliate of RPI which provides primary marketing and promotion services to RPI, said,
"Ranbaxy has recognised that non-compliance with treatment is a major problem among people with type 2 diabetes.
"For that reason and the large number of people, who have difficulty swallowing large tablets, Ranbaxy saw an opportunity for a liquid form of the top-selling diabetes drug metformin."
"By arming physicians with Riomet, Ranbaxy is providing an alternative for the dsyphagic patient and those who are averse to taking a tablet, which may help to improve patient compliance," Thomas said.
Diabetes is a major health concern in the United States, where 6.3 per cent of the population has the disease.
And the risk increases with age. The incidence of diabetes among Americans of 60 years old or more is 18.3 per cent.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease, affecting between 90 and 95 per cent of all sufferers. In type 2 diabetes, insulin, which carries sugar from the blood into the body's cells, is either not produced by the body in sufficient quantities or is not accepted by the cells.
This causes glucose to build up in the blood, which can starve the body's cells for energy and ultimately damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves and heart. In fact, two out of every three people with diabetes die of heart disease or stroke.
