Diabetes Drug Reduces Heart Failure Deaths and Hospitalizations

Type 2 diabetes drug empagliflozin significantly diminished the incidences of hospitalizations and even death from heart failure.

Silvio E. Inzucchi, MD, professor of medicine and clinical chief of endocrinology, Yale University, presented findings from the clinical trial EMPA-REG OUTCOME at the 2015 American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Session in Orlando, FL.

The trial randomized patients with type 2 diabetes and risk factors for heart disease to receive either once-daily doses of the glucose-lowering drug empagliflozin (10mg or 25mg doses) or a placebo — both administered in tandem with standard care.

Results indicated that empagliflozin group noticed significant reductions in their blood sugar and blood pressure compared with those given placebo.

The type 2 diabetes drug also showed reductions in hospitalizations for heart failure (35%), the combined result for heart failure hospitalization or death from heart disease (34%), and the combined result for being hospitalized or dying from heart failure (39%).

Inzucchi concluded, “We found that reductions in the hospitalization outcomes were similar between the two subgroups. So, one conclusion that could be proposed is that the drug not only appeared to prevent deterioration in patients who already had heart failure, but also appeared to prevent that condition from developing in patients who never had it before.”