+ Regulatory
Katelyn Kivel | Dec 7, 2015

Jardiance reduces cardiovascular problems, body weight in diabetes patients

Data presented at the recent 2015 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida suggested that Jardiance (empagliflozin) is capable of reducing the risk of heart failure and cardiovascular (CV) death in patients with type-2 diabetes (T2D). 

“[Jardiance] effectively lowers blood sugar levels in a once-daily pill,” Emily Baier Geary, spokeswoman for Jardiance’s developer Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, recently told Patient Daily. “Jardiance works by removing excess glucose through the urine by blocking glucose re-absorption in the kidney.”

The testing of Jardiance involved more than 7,000 T2D patients from 42 countries over an extended period in a double-blind study. Jardiance was also shown to reduce the rates of hospitalization for heart failure in T2D patients.

“The EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial showed that Jardiance is the only diabetes medication to have demonstrated reduction in both CV risk and CV death in a dedicated CV outcomes trial,” Gaery said. “Fifty percent of deaths in people with T2D worldwide are caused by CV disease. Addressing the burden of cardiovascular events, including death, is at the core of diabetes care, and until now no single diabetes medication has been associated with a reduction in mortality.”

Gaery also suggested that, while not designed for weight loss, it could also help people lose weight. People taking placebo saw a 0.4 percent average reduction in body weight, compared to average reductions of 2.8 percent and 3.2 percent in those taking the 10 mg and 25 mg Jardiance regimen.

These findings will be provided to global regulators, Gaery said, but she added that Boehringer Ingelheim “cannot speculate on decisions regulators may make on inclusion of these data in the Jardiance label.”

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