AstraZeneca suffers diabetes drug setback for COVID

British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca on Monday said that following a trial, its diabetes drug Farxiga was not successful in treating COVID patients at risk of severe complications.

AstraZeneca, whose separate COVID vaccine rollout has been hampered by health concerns, said its trial "assessing the potential of Farxiga to treat patients hospitalised with COVID-19 who are at risk of developing serious complications... did not achieve statistical significance".

The trial was carried out alongside Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute and looked at potential complications including diabetes and heart failure.

"While the trial did not achieve statistical significance, the findings are very interesting and valuable, and will inform future clinical science," Saint Luke's cardiologist Mikhail Kosiborod said in a joint statement.

Public confidence in AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine has meanwhile been badly shaken by reports linking it to rare, but potentially fatal, blood clots, and by conflicting recommendations over its use.