Empagliflozin: Role in Treatment Options for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Empagliflozin is an oral treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), one of the leading causes of death in the US and around the world. Recently, the EMPA-REG OUTCOME study has shown that empagliflozin added to standard of care treatment reduced the risk of cardiovascular (CV) events in patients with T2DM who were also at increased CV risk. The risk of major adverse CV events (MACE: first occurrence of CV death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, or non-fatal stroke) was reduced by 14% relative to placebo (HR 0.86; 95.02% CI: 0.74-0.99; P = 0.04 for superiority). The risk of CV death was reduced by 38% relative to the placebo group (HR 0.62; 95% CI: 0.49-0.77; P < 0.001) and the risk of death from any cause by 32% (HR 0.68; 95% CI: 0.57-0.82; P < 0.001). Furthermore, empagliflozin was associated with reduced risk of hospitalization for heart failure and of renal adverse events. As well as EMPA-REG OUTCOME, empagliflozin has been studied in a number of clinical trials in patients with T2DM, in various combinations, including with insulin. Empagliflozin has shown significant improvements in glycemic control, body weight, and blood pressure, albeit improvements are limited in patients with declining renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate <45 ml/min/1.73 m2). Empagliflozin has been generally well tolerated, with the typical adverse events of genital mycotic infections usually being straightforward to manage. Considering all the data together, empagliflozin appears to be a promising option for many patients with T2DM, but care will still be needed to ensure that use is appropriate for an individual patient's characteristics.