French drug company Sanofi said today it had submitted an application for regulatory approval in Japan for lixisenatide, trade marked as Lyxumia, for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

The drug aims to control the amount of glycemic sugar in the blood of patients with diabetes. It is not currently approved or licensed anywhere in the world, but Sanofi said it is expecting regulatory approval in the United States in the fourth-quarter of 2012.

It is seen as a possible blockbuster that could help Sanofi's ambitions to expand in the treatment of diabetes.

Reuters