Study of Jardiance (empagliflozin) in type 1 diabetes- Boehringer + Eli Lilly

A study aimed to determine the safety and effectiveness of empagliflozin (Jardiance) in insulin-treated type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients. This study involved 75 T1D patients divided into 4 groups. One group received 2.5 mg empagliflozin, another group received 10 mg empagliflozin and a third group received 25 mg empagliflozin. The remaining group received a placebo. The drug or placebo were taken once daily for 4 weeks. Patients also received daily insulin.

After 4 weeks, HbA1c was 0.14% lower in participants receiving empagliflozin compared to the placebo group. The daily insulin dose decreased by 0.07-0.09 U/kg in participants receiving empagliflozin compared to placebo. Participants receiving empagliflozin lost between 1.4 and 1.7 kg of weight, in comparison to 0.2 kg in the placebo group. Adverse events occurred in 94.7% of participants receiving the placebo, 89.5% of participants receiving 2.5 mg empagliflozin, 78.9% of participants receiving 10 mg empagliflozin and 100% of participants receiving 25 mg empagliflozin. The most common adverse event was hypoglycemia (dangerously low blood glucose levels). However, there was no difference in the frequency of hypoglycemia between the placebo and treatment groups.

Comment: This study concluded that empagliflozin, in conjunction with insulin, improves control of blood glucose levels, increases weight loss and reduces insulin dose in T1D patients.