Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly’s heart failure drug Jardiance reduced the risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalisation due to heart failure in adult patients with and without diabetes – an important milestone for the drug.
The EMPEROR-Reduced trial evaluated SGLT2 inhibitor Jardiance (empagliflozin) in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The drug met the primary endpoint of reduction in death and hospitalisation in this patient population, which opens up a significant market for the drug.
Currently, Jardiance is indicated to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes, as well as to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death in adults with type 2 diabetes who have known cardiovascular disease.
Although Boehringer/Lilly did not reveal the full results from the trial, the positive results will no doubt help to build the strength of Jardiance in the heart failure market, which is becoming increasingly competitive.
This includes AstraZeneca’s Farxiga (dapagliflozin), which became the first drug in the SGLT2 inhibitor class to be approved in the US to reduce the chance of hospitalisations, in adults with type 2 diabetes and other cardiovascular risks.
Earlier this week, AZ also touted results for Farxiga in kidney disease, after the drug reduced kidney disease progression in a phase 3 trial of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). In March, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave Jardiance an accelerated review to reduce kidney disease progression and cardiovascular death in patients with CKD.
For Boehringer/Lilly, the results from the EMPEROR-Reduced trial are an important win given that Jardiance is entering its last few years of patent life. Last year, Jardiance revenue reached $944.2m – an increase of 43% compared to the full year 2018.
Aside from the EMPEROR-Reduced trial, Boehringer/Lilly is also investigating Jardiance as a treatment in patient with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF)
“With these positive top-line results from the EMPEROR-Reduced trial, we are excited to mark another important advancement for Jardiance,” said Mohamed Eid, vice president, clinical development & medical affairs, cardio-metabolism and respiratory medicine at Boehringer Ingelheim.
“There is an urgent need for new heart failure treatments, and these results show promise for the potential role Jardiance can play in improving the lives of adults living with this condition,” he added.