The results demonstrated that Jardiance reduced the risk of hospitalization for heart failure compared to two other classes of glucose-lowering drugs in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim presented data at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions 2022 in New Orleans, suggesting their Jardiance (empagliflozin) demonstrated a decreased risk of hospitalization for heart failure by 50% in adults with type 2 diabetes.
The partners presented data from two analyses of the final U.S. data from the EMPagliflozin comparative effectiveness and SafEty (EMPRISE) real-world study. The study was launched in 2016 to compare the EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial data by providing information on the comparative effectiveness and safety of Jardiance in routine clinical care compared to DPP-4 inhibitors or GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Jardiance is approved to reduce the risk of cardiovascular (CV) death and hospitalization for heart failure in adults with heart failure when the heart can’t pump enough blood to the rest of the body; to decrease the risk of CV death in adults with type 2 diabetes who also have CV disease and to drop blood sugar along with diet and exercise in adults with type 2 diabetes.
The results demonstrated that Jardiance reduced the risk of hospitalization for heart failure compared to two other classes of glucose-lowering drugs in adults with type 2 diabetes. It showed relative risk decreases of 50% compared to DPP-4 inhibitors and 30% compared to GLP-1 receptor agonists.
“With more than 29 million people in the U.S. diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, up to 22% of whom may also have heart failure, it is critical that healthcare professionals caring for this population have treatments that demonstrate cardiovascular effectiveness in routine care,” Dr. Elisabetta Patorno, M.D., Dr.P.H., division of pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School and study co-investigator said.
Patorno added, “These five-year results from EMPRISE, showing empagliflozin was associated with a decreased risk of hospitalization for heart failure and for death, are encouraging data for adults with type 2 diabetes and their care team.”
The data also found that Jardiance, compared to DPP-4 inhibitors, was linked to a 40% drop in relative risk of all-cause mortality in people on Medicare. Overall, Jardiance was tied to a 12% decrease in the risk of the composite outcome of myocardial infarction or stroke compared to DPP-4 inhibitors in the overall EMPRISE population. And compared to GLP-1 receptor agonists, the drug was linked to similar risks of heart attack, stroke and all-cause mortality.
The data also confirmed Jardiance’s safety profile. Compared to DPP-4 inhibitors, the drug was associated with a decrease in relative risk of acute kidney injury, although there was an increase in relative risk of hospitalization for diabetic ketoacidosis. These findings were consistent with the known safety profile of the drug.
DPP-4 inhibitors are also called gliptins. They are an oral drug to treat type 2 diabetes. Examples include Merck’s Januvia (sitagliptin), AstraZeneca’s Onglyza (saxagliptin) and Boehringer Ingelheim’s Tradjenta (linagliptin).
GLP-1 inhibitors are also type 2 diabetes drugs, either injected or oral. They include Eli Lilly’s Trulicity (dulaglutide), Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic (semaglutide) and Rybelsus (semaglutide).
“People with type 2 diabetes are four times as likely to be hospitalized for heart failure, and repeated hospitalizations lead to worse outcomes, making treatment options that improve clinical outcomes crucial,” Dr. Mohamed Eid, M.D., vice president, clinical development & medical affairs, cardio-metabolism & respiratory medicine at Boehringer Ingelheim said. “These findings suggest that treatment with Jardiance can help reduce heart failure hospitalizations compared to other classes of diabetes therapies, with a well-understood safety and tolerability profile.”
