June 27, 2016

SGLT2 Inhibitors Heavily Promoted at ADA

The 2016 ADA conference in New Orleans was the showcase for the latest research on SGLT2 Inhibitors. The Diabetes-in-Control team was at the conference and state the SGLT2Inhibitors had over 150 poster presentations on this class alone. The article says they will cover the new research in depth over the coming weeks.

For now, here’s a taste of some of the breaking news from the sessions:
  1. Research pertaining to the kidneys was a major topic. Researchers concluded that canagliflozin slows the progression of kidney function decline compared to glimepirde at almost equal glycemic control. This suggests that canagliflozin’s beneficial effect on kidney function is independent of its glycemic effects.
  2. Janssen presented results from a Phase 2, randomized study showing glycemic improvements in adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), when treated with canagliflozin (Invokana) plus insulin.
  3. Two study results pertaining to AstraZeneca’s Farxiga were presented. In one study, Farxiga was shown to decrease body weight and blood pressure among patients with kidney problems,
  4. In the other study, Farxiga was used in combination with a potassium-sparing diuretic. A1C, body weight and blood pressure were reduced, with no significant increase in potassium levels. This reduces the risk for hyperkalemia.
In other news, the results of the Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes: Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcome Results—A Long Term Evaluation (LEADER) trial was major news at the conference on Monday, June 13. The results showed that liraglutide (Victoza), in patients identified with cardiovascular disease, lowered the combined risk of heart attack, stroke and death from cardiovascular causes by 13%. While a reduction in CV risk with a GLP-1 treatment is an exciting development, there’s not a yet any real evidence of a class effect.

Meanwhile, multiple SGLT-2 drugs are undergoing further testing to explore the possibility that SGLT-2 inhibitors as a class can reduce cardiovascular risk.

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