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Empagliflozin: A Review of Its Use in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

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An Erratum to this article was published on 27 November 2014

Abstract

Oral empagliflozin (Jardiance®), a sodium glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, is a convenient once-daily treatment for adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. By inhibiting reabsorption of glucose from the proximal tubules in the kidney via inhibition of SGLT2, empagliflozin provides a novel insulin-independent mechanism of lowering blood glucose. In several phase III trials (≤104 weeks’ duration; typically 24 weeks’ duration) and extension studies (typically ≥76 weeks’ treatment), empagliflozin monotherapy or add-on therapy to other antihyperglycaemics, including insulin, improved glycaemic control and reduced bodyweight and systolic blood pressure in adult patients with type 2 diabetes. In a large phase III trial, as add-on therapy to metformin, empagliflozin was shown to be noninferior to glimepiride at 52 and 104 weeks and superior to glimepiride at 104 weeks, in terms of reductions in glycated haemoglobin level (primary endpoint). Empagliflozin was well tolerated by participants in these clinical trials, with most adverse events being mild or moderate in intensity. Empagliflozin treatment appeared to have no intrinsic risk of hypoglycaemia, although hypoglycaemia occurred more frequently when empagliflozin was coadministered with insulin and/or a sulfonylurea. With its insulin-independent mechanism of action, empagliflozin monotherapy or combination therapy with other antidiabetic drugs, including insulin, provides a useful addition to the therapeutic options for the management of type 2 diabetes. This article reviews the pharmacological properties and clinical use of empagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes.

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Disclosure

The preparation of this review was not supported by any external funding. Lesley Scott is a salaried employee of Adis/Springer. During the peer review process, the manufacturer of the agent under review was offered an opportunity to comment on this article. Changes resulting from comments received were made by the authors on the basis of scientific and editorial merit.

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The manuscript was reviewed by: G. Dimitriadis, 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Research Institute and Diabetes Center, Athens University Medical School, Attikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece; H-U. Häring, Department of Internal Medicine IV, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Y. Hamamoto, Medical Research Institute Kitano Hospital, Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology, Osaka, Japan.

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Scott, L.J. Empagliflozin: A Review of Its Use in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Drugs 74, 1769–1784 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-014-0298-1

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