Merck's once-weekly diabetes drug approved in Japan

(Reuters) - Merck & CO said its Type 2 diabetes drug had been approved in Japan, marking the first approval for the once-weekly drug. The drug, omarigliptin, belongs to the same class of drugs as Merck's bestseller Januvia, which is to be taken once a day. Both drugs are aimed at lowering blood sugar levels. Januvia had sales of about $4 billion in 2014. Merck said this month it would submit an application for U.S. marketing approval for omarigliptin by the end of the year (Reporting by Amrutha Penumudi in Bengaluru; Editing by Kirti Pandey)