Hello. I'm Dr Anne Peters. Approximately 1 year ago I brought you news of the EMPA-REG trial.[1] I was quite excited about the value of empagliflozin for reducing cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes. Now, the US Food and Drug Administration finally agrees and has added a new indication for empagliflozin—to reduce cardiovascular death in patients with type 2 diabetes and known cardiovascular disease.[2]
I believe this is the first cardiovascular indication for a diabetes drug. As I have said previously, I am quite excited that our diabetes drugs are having benefits for cardiovascular disease risk reduction.
This new indication was supported by data from the EMPA-REG trial. To review, EMPA-REG was a cardiovascular outcomes trial that compared empagliflozin with placebo in older patients with type 2 diabetes and existing cardiovascular disease. Empagliflozin is an SGLT-2 inhibitor, essentially a diuretic for glucose. These drugs increase glucose excretion in urine and thus lower blood glucose levels. As we have learned, empagliflozin also lowers the risk for subsequent cardiovascular events in people who have cardiovascular disease.
We are now convinced that these benefits are real.
In the EMPA-REG trial, 7020 patients were randomly assigned to one of three treatment arms: placebo; empagliflozin 10 mg; or empagliflozin 25 mg.
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COMMENTARY
'Incredibly Exciting': Diabetes Drug With CV Benefits
Anne L. Peters, MD
DisclosuresDecember 21, 2016
Hello. I'm Dr Anne Peters. Approximately 1 year ago I brought you news of the EMPA-REG trial.[1] I was quite excited about the value of empagliflozin for reducing cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes. Now, the US Food and Drug Administration finally agrees and has added a new indication for empagliflozin—to reduce cardiovascular death in patients with type 2 diabetes and known cardiovascular disease.[2]
I believe this is the first cardiovascular indication for a diabetes drug. As I have said previously, I am quite excited that our diabetes drugs are having benefits for cardiovascular disease risk reduction.
This new indication was supported by data from the EMPA-REG trial. To review, EMPA-REG was a cardiovascular outcomes trial that compared empagliflozin with placebo in older patients with type 2 diabetes and existing cardiovascular disease. Empagliflozin is an SGLT-2 inhibitor, essentially a diuretic for glucose. These drugs increase glucose excretion in urine and thus lower blood glucose levels. As we have learned, empagliflozin also lowers the risk for subsequent cardiovascular events in people who have cardiovascular disease.
In the EMPA-REG trial, 7020 patients were randomly assigned to one of three treatment arms: placebo; empagliflozin 10 mg; or empagliflozin 25 mg.
Medscape Diabetes © 2016 WebMD, LLC
Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: 'Incredibly Exciting': Diabetes Drug With CV Benefits - Medscape - Dec 21, 2016.
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Authors and Disclosures
Authors and Disclosures
Author
Anne L. Peters, MD
Professor of Clinical Medicine; Director, Clinical Diabetes Programs, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Disclosure: Anne L. Peters, MD, has disclosed the following financial relationships:
Served as director, officer, partner, employee, advisor, consultant, or trustee for: (current consultant): Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Eli Lilly and Company; Novo Nordisk
Served as a speaker or member of a speaker's bureau for: (current speakers bureau member): Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Eli Lilly and Company; Novo Nordisk; Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.
Served as a consultant or ad hoc speaker/consultant for: AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP; Abbott Laboratories; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; Dexcom; Medtronic MiniMed, Inc.; Merck & Co., Inc.; Roche; sanofi-aventis