Jardiance partners Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim have worked hard to establish their medicine as a competitive force in the diabetes and cardiovascular treatment landscapes. Now, they're rolling out new new evidence to show the med's benefits in a large group of U.S. patients.
In the EMPRISE real-world study comprising nearly half a million diabetic patients, Jardiance cut the risk of hospitalization for heart failure by 50% compared with DPP-4 inhibitors and by 30% compared with GLP-1 receptor agonists, the companies said Sunday. Investigators presented the data at the American Diabetes Association's annual Scientific Sessions in New Orleans.
Eli Lilly and Boehringer's Jardiance is a member of the SGLT2 class of diabetes and cardio medicines. AstraZeneca's Onglyza and Merck's Januvia are members of the DPP-4 class, while Novo Nordisk's Victoza and Lilly's own Trulicity are in the GLP-1 class.
For the study, investigators evaluated the first five years of real-world Jardiance use in the U.S. following the drug's approval. In 2019, an interim analysis showed a 41% relative risk reduction for hospitalization for heart failure compared with DPP-4 inhibitors and 17% versus GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Speaking with Fierce Pharma, Boehringer Ingelheim's head of clinical development and medical affairs Mohamed Eid, M.D., said he was “impressed and pleased" with the results. They "complement" the findings from the EMPA-REG cardiovascular outcomes trial, he added. In that study, Jardiance showed a 35% relative risk reduction of hospitalization for heart failure compared with placebo in patients with Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Meanwhile, the new data are important because they relate to issues and decisions that healthcare professionals deal with "on a day-to-day basis" and provide an "opportunity to make a true difference in clinical practice," Eid said.
Aside from the EMPRISE study's primary findings, investigators said the drug was associated with a 40% reduction in death risks against DPP-4 inhibitors in patients in Medicare. In addition, the drug cut risks of a composite outcome of heart attack or stroke by 12% compared with DPP-4 drugs.
But against GLP-1 meds, the drug posted similar risks of heart attack, stroke and mortality.
The data add to Jardiance's recent winning streak in diabetes and heart failure. Back in February, the med clinched an FDA approval to reduce risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization in adults with heart failure. That FDA nod made the drug the first approved to improve outcomes in all heart failure patients.
Jardiance also carries FDA approvals to improve glucose control in adult diabetics and to cut cardiovascular death risks in adults with Type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease.