Hans‐Juergen Woerle

BACKGROUND: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors lower glycemia by enhancing urinary glucose excretion. The physiologic response to pharmacologically induced acute or chronic glycosuria has not been investigated in human diabetes. METHODS: We evaluated 66 patients with type 2 diabetes (62 ± 7 years, BMI = 31.6 ± 4.6 kg/m(2), HbA1c = 55 ± 8 mmol/mol, mean ± SD) at baseline, after a single dose, and following 4-week treatment with empagliflozin (25 mg). At each time point, patients received a mixed meal coupled with dual-tracer glucose administration and indirect calorimetry. RESULTS: Both single-dose and chronic empagliflozin treatment caused glycosuria during fasting (median, 7.8 [interquartile range {IQR}, 4.4] g/3 hours and 9.2 [IQR, 5.2] g/3 hours) and after meal ingestion (median, 29.0 [IQR, 12.5] g/5 hours and 28.2 [IQR, 15.4] g/5 hours). After 3 hours of fasting, endogenous glucose production (EGP) was increased 25%, while glycemia was 0.9 ± 0.7 mmol/l lower (P < 0.0001 vs. baseline). After meal ingestion, glucose and insulin AUC decreased, whereas the glucagon response increased (all P < 0.001). While oral glucose appearance was unchanged, EGP was increased (median, 40 [IQR, 14] g and 37 [IQR, 11] g vs. 34 [IQR, 11] g, both P < 0.01). Tissue glucose disposal was reduced (median, 75 [IQR, 16] g and 70 [IQR, 21] g vs. 93 [IQR, 18] g, P < 0.0001), due to a decrease in both glucose oxidation and nonoxidative glucose disposal, with a concomitant rise in lipid oxidation after chronic administration (all P < 0.01). β Cell glucose sensitivity increased (median, 55 [IQR, 35] pmol • min(-1) • m(-2) • mM(-1) and 55 [IQR, 39] pmol • min(-1) • m(-2) • mM(-1) vs. 44 [IQR, 32] pmol • min(-1) • m(-2) • mM(-1), P < 0.0001), and insulin sensitivity was improved. Resting energy expenditure rates and those after meal ingestion were unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with type 2 diabetes, empagliflozin-induced glycosuria improved β cell function and insulin sensitivity, despite the fall in insulin secretion and tissue glucose disposal and the rise in EGP after one dose, thereby lowering fasting and postprandial glycemia. Chronic dosing shifted substrate utilization from carbohydrate to lipid. Trial registration. ClinicalTrials.Gov NCT01248364 (EudraCT no. 2010-018708-99). Funding. This study was funded by Boehringer Ingelheim.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus are at high risk for the development of hypertension, contributing to cardiovascular complications. Hyperglycaemia-mediated neurohormonal activation increases arterial stiffness, and is an important contributing factor for hypertension. Since the sodium glucose cotransport-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor empagliflozin lowers blood pressure and HbA1c in type 1 diabetes mellitus, we hypothesized that this agent would also reduce arterial stiffness and markers of sympathetic nervous system activity. METHODS: Blood pressure, arterial stiffness, heart rate variability (HRV) and circulating adrenergic mediators were measured during clamped euglycaemia (blood glucose 4-6 mmol/L) and hyperglycaemia (blood glucose 9-11 mmol/L) in 40 normotensive type 1 diabetes mellitus patients. Studies were repeated after 8 weeks of empagliflozin (25 mg once daily). RESULTS: In response to empagliflozin during clamped euglycaemia, systolic blood pressure (111 ± 9 to 109 ± 9 mmHg, p = 0.02) and augmentation indices at the radial (-52% ± 16 to -57% ± 17, p = 0.0001), carotid (+1.3 ± 1 7.0 to -5.7 ± 17.0%, p < 0.0001) and aortic positions (+0.1 ± 13.4 to -6.2 ± 14.3%, p < 0.0001) declined. Similar effects on arterial stiffness were observed during clamped hyperglycaemia without changing blood pressure under this condition. Carotid-radial pulse wave velocity decreased significantly under both glycemic conditions (p ≤ 0.0001), while declines in carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity were only significant during clamped hyperglycaemia (5.7 ± 1.1 to 5.2 ± 0.9 m/s, p = 0.0017). HRV, plasma noradrenalin and adrenaline remained unchanged under both clamped euglycemic and hyperglycemic conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Empagliflozin is associated with a decline in arterial stiffness in young type 1 diabetes mellitus subjects. The underlying mechanisms may relate to pleiotropic actions of SGLT2 inhibition, including glucose lowering, antihypertensive and weight reduction effects. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01392560.

OBJECTIVE: Preclinical data suggest that linagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, may lower urinary albumin excretion. The ability of linagliptin to lower albuminuria on top of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibition in humans was analyzed by pooling data from four similarly designed, 24-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III trials. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A pooled analysis of four completed studies identified 217 subjects with type 2 diabetes and prevalent albuminuria (defined as a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio [UACR] of 30-3,000 mg/g creatinine) while receiving stable doses of RAAS inhibitors. Participants were randomized to either linagliptin 5 mg/day (n = 162) or placebo (n= 55). The primary end point was the percentage change in geometric mean UACR from baseline to week 24. RESULTS: UACR at week 24 was reduced by 32% (95% CI -42 to -21; P < 0.05) with linagliptin compared with 6% (95% CI -27 to +23) with placebo, with a between-group difference of 28% (95% CI -47 to -2; P = 0.0357). The between-group difference in the change in HbA1c from baseline to week 24 was -0.61% (-6.7 mmol/mol) in favor of linagliptin (95% CI -0.88 to -0.34% [-9.6 to -3.7 mmol/mol]; P < 0.0001). The albuminuria-lowering effect of linagliptin, however, was not influenced by race or HbA1c and systolic blood pressure (SBP) values at baseline or after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Linagliptin administered in addition to stable RAAS inhibitors led to a significant reduction in albuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes and renal dysfunction. This observation was independent of changes in glucose level or SBP. Further research to prospectively investigate the renal effects of linagliptin is underway.

BACKGROUND: Evidence concerning the importance of glucose lowering in the prevention of cardiovascular (CV) outcomes remains controversial. Given the multi-faceted pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in diabetes, it is likely that any intervention to mitigate this risk must address CV risk factors beyond glycemia alone. The SGLT-2 inhibitor empagliflozin improves glucose control, body weight and blood pressure when used as monotherapy or add-on to other antihyperglycemic agents in patients with type 2 diabetes. The aim of the ongoing EMPA-REG OUTCOME™ trial is to determine the long-term CV safety of empagliflozin, as well as investigating potential benefits on macro-/microvascular outcomes. METHODS: Patients who were drug-naïve (HbA1c ≥7.0% and ≤9.0%), or on background glucose-lowering therapy (HbA1c ≥7.0% and ≤10.0%), and were at high risk of CV events, were randomized (1:1:1) and treated with empagliflozin 10 mg, empagliflozin 25 mg, or placebo (double blind, double dummy) superimposed upon the standard of care. The primary outcome is time to first occurrence of CV death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, or non-fatal stroke. CV events will be prospectively adjudicated by an independent Clinical Events Committee. The trial will continue until ≥691 confirmed primary outcome events have occurred, providing a power of 90% to yield an upper limit of the adjusted 95% CI for a hazard ratio of <1.3 with a one-sided α of 0.025, assuming equal risks between placebo and empagliflozin (both doses pooled). Hierarchical testing for superiority will follow for the primary outcome and key secondary outcomes (time to first occurrence of CV death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke or hospitalization for unstable angina pectoris) where non-inferiority is achieved. RESULTS: Between Sept 2010 and April 2013, 592 clinical sites randomized and treated 7034 patients (41% from Europe, 20% from North America, and 19% from Asia). At baseline, the mean age was 63 ± 9 years, BMI 30.6 ± 5.3 kg/m2, HbA1c 8.1 ± 0.8%, and eGFR 74 ± 21 ml/min/1.73 m2. The study is expected to report in 2015. DISCUSSION: EMPA-REG OUTCOME™ will determine the CV safety of empagliflozin in a cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes and high CV risk, with the potential to show cardioprotection. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01131676.