Last checked at 
* For patients with existing heart, kidney condition
* Tests if Farxiga cuts risk of disease worsening, death
* Company has announced trial with Calquence for COVID-19
(Recasts with details on trial, competitors, context)
By Pushkala Aripaka
April 23 (Reuters) - Britain's AstraZeneca is
testing a diabetes drug as a potential treatment for COVID-19
patients who also had existing heart and kidney problems, its
second trial of an approved therapy to help treat the disease
caused by the coronavirus.
Dubbed "DARE-19", AstraZeneca said https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2020/astrazeneca-and-saint-lukes-mid-america-heart-institute-initiate-phase-iii-dare-19-trial-with-farxiga-in-covid-19-patients.html
on Thursday that the study will assess if Farxiga can reduce
the risk of death from serious complications and organ failure
in such patients.
Drugmakers are rushing to advance potential treatments for
the fast-spreading virus outbreak that has infected more than
2.62 million people globally and so far killed 183,761 with the
respiratory illness, according to a Reuters tally.
"AstraZeneca is committed to finding new solutions to fight
COVID-19 by investigating the application of our new and
existing medicines," Mene Pangalos, Executive VP of
biopharmaceuticals at the company, said.
While existing medications being trialled include cancer
drugs and immunotherapies, some research shows that patients
with existing heart conditions are at a high risk of developing
COVID-19 complications, including heart failure.
Cambridge-based AstraZeneca has also said it will trial its
cancer drug Calquence in COVID-19 patients and has partnered
with rival GlaxoSmithKline and Cambridge University to
set up a COVID-19 testing laboratory.
AstraZeneca's DARE-19 trial, in partnership with the Saint
Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, will enrol about 900
patients in the United States and European countries that are
experiencing high rates of the coronavirus, the drugmaker said.
The goal of the study is to assess if Farxiga can cut the
risk of disease progression, clinical complications and death in
the patients, AstraZeneca said, without providing details on
when it expects to publish data for regulatory submission.
Farxiga, approved as a treatment for type-2 diabetes, is
part of the SGLT2-inhibitor class of antidiabetic medication
that cause the kidneys to expel blood sugar through urine and
has shown promise in various heart and kidney condition trials.
Rival SGLT2 inhibitors include Johnson & Johnson's
Invokana and Eli Lilly and Co and Boehringer Ingelheim's
Jardiance.
Diabetes, heart disease and long-term lung problems are the
most common underlying conditions among Americans hospitalized
with COVID-19, a report https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-study/diabetes-lung-and-heart-disease-common-in-u-s-coronavirus-patients-cdc-idUSKBN21I3HM
last month said.
(Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Editing by
Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Sriraj Kalluvila and Alexander Smith)
