Documented Cardiovascular Benefit of Empagliflozin in New American Diabetes Treatment Guidelines
Two leading overseas medical professional societies, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), released new recommendations for diabetes treatment in December 2016. They include information on the reduction of cardiovascular mortality in diabetics treated with empagliflozin (Jardiance).
The recommendations follow the position of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which allows Eli Lilly to present the beneficial effects of empagliflozin on the cardiovascular system. Specifically, this concerns the prevention of myocardial infarction and strokes in type 2 diabetics.
Preferred SGLT2 Inhibitor
The American investment company Edward Jones expects that annual sales of Jardiance will increase from the current $200 million to nearly $4 billion by 2020. Analysts predict that empagliflozin will become the preferred drug from the group of SGLT2 inhibitors, before manufacturers of other SGLT2 inhibitors complete their own studies on the cardiovascular effects of canagliflozin and dapagliflozin in the next 2 years.
Metformin is expected to remain the first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes. Empagliflozin administered once daily orally could become the preferred drug where metformin does not suffice to control glycemia. Annual costs for metformin are around $50, while monthly treatment with empagliflozin costs approximately $400. The American health insurance company Anthem Inc. ranks this drug among moderately expensive treatments due to its cardiovascular benefits.
The Drug Will Reach More Patients
Thanks to the December FDA position and new guidelines, it is expected that in the United States, general practitioners will more frequently prescribe empagliflozin, which was approved by authorities in 2014. It would thereby become available to a large number of patients. In the U.S., 29 million patients suffer from diabetes, and almost 90% of them are treated for type 2 diabetes.
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Source: Pierson R., Humer C. New diabetes guidelines imminent, Jardiance sales may surge. Reuters, Health News 2016 Dec 13. Available at: www.reuters.com/article/us-eli-lilly-diabetes-idUSKBN13Y2KY
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