2012 Annual Report Bristol-Myers Squibb  17 16,500-patient  SAVOR  trial, designed to determine whether  treatment with  Onglyza , when added to the patient’s current  standard of care, would result in a reduction of cardiovascular  events, including heart attacks and stroke. Large cardiovascu- lar outcomes studies also are set for  Bydureon  and  Forxiga . Even after introducing entirely new approaches to treatment,  company researchers continue to seek to broaden the poten- tial for innovation. For instance, the company in-licensed  a PEG-FGF21 peptide from Ambrx Pharmaceuticals, with  its first-in-class potential to reduce both blood sugar and  cardiovascular risk by improving the lipid dysfunction seen  in many patients with diabetes. Another approach targets  the inhibition of CCR2/5 receptors and is being tested in  diabetic kidney disease. A third approach, 11 β HSD inhibi- tors, has been shown in small studies to have activity in both  diabetes and atherosclerosis. r In addition, metreleptin, under a rolling Biologics License  Application review by the FDA, is a potential treatment  option for patients with lipodystrophy, a life-threatening,  “ultra-orphan” rare disease estimated to impact a few thousand people worldwide. There are no approved drugs  for the underlying cause of the disease, a deficiency in  leptin, a hormone secreted by fat cells that is important in  regulating metabolism. Our company’s innovative diabetes portfolio also includes  Onglyza  (saxagliptin), as well as  Kombiglyze  XR and Komboglyze , its fixed-dose combination products with  metformin.  Onglyza  is a DPP-4 inhibitor, often used alone  or with metformin, for patients at the earlier stages in their  disease because of its strong safety and efficacy profile.  The possibility that  Onglyza  may have a significant effect on  cardiovascular event reduction is the subject of intensive  study. During 2013, results should become available from the  When  Bydureon , a once-weekly formulation of  Byetta , came to  market in 2012, her doctor switched her to  Bydureon . Today, she injects herself weekly, has lost an additional 10 pounds,  and eats a healthier diet. “ Bydureon  is convenient, even with a  busy lifestyle,” Jones adds. “And when patients with diabetes  come to see me, I am able to share so much more with them.” Soon after her daughter Aniyah was born, Jones’s physician  switched her to  Byetta , an injectable medication from Bristol- Myers Squibb taken twice a day before meals. It offered the  potential for reductions in weight, blood sugar control and few  side effects. “While I was glad to lose about 10 pounds while  taking  Byetta , I was working 13 hours a day, would sometimes  skip meals and too often miss that second injection.” She was first prescribed metformin, an oral medication. Then,  she became pregnant and found herself injecting insulin four  times a day to protect herself and her unborn child from gesta - tional diabetes. “It’s one thing to teach your patients about it, but it’s another  when you are dealing with the medical condition yourself. Having all the book knowledge of what can happen as the  disease progresses can be scary,” Jones says. For the past six years, 31-year-old Tehesha Jones has spent  much of her time advising patients with diabetes how to man - age the disease. As a registered nurse with a degree in public  health, Jones knows what to say. But when she was diagnosed  with type 2 diabetes in 2009, she was left speechless.  Her Diabetes Helps Her Connect With Patients Tehesha Jones