Following the results for the EMPULSE trial demonstrating that Boehringer Ingelheim’s (BI) sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT-2I) empagliflozin (Jardiance) was beneficial at reducing adverse events (AEs) among acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) patients;

Akash Patel, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:

“With the increasing metabolic complexity that cardiovascular and type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients present, additional clinical benefits provided by empagliflozin for these patients will strengthen its position in an increasingly competitive SGLT-2I class. Key opinion leaders (KOLs) interviewed by GlobalData have expressed positive sentiments regarding the expanding clinical benefits of the SGLT-2I class, as it provides them with a drug that addresses multiple comorbidities, with good efficacy, in a single dose.

“Empagliflozin was originally approved to treat patients with T2D and, in addition to other SGLT-2Is, has demonstrated efficacy in treating heart failure—both chronic and systolic—and is currently in Phase III trials for chronic kidney disease.

“The data from the EMPULSE trial will strengthen BI’s position in an increasingly competitive SGLT-2I market, in both HF and T2D. Empagliflozin will likely achieve significant uptake from physicians and be a direct competitor to dapagliflozin (Farxiga), which was the first SGLT-2I approved for HF, and erode some of Farxiga’s market share.”