Canagliflozin results are in.
Diabetes is on the rise in America, with more than 100 million Americans living with diabetes or prediabetes. Findings on a new drug, canagliflozin, have recently been published in the New England Journal of Medicine with results showing some favorable effects on the heart and kidneys. Considering diabetes is one of the major contributors to chronic kidney disease, the study has intrigued the medical community.
In the study, 4,401 patients from 34 different countries with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease and were administered either canagliflozin or a placebo. Participants were checked up with at three, 13, and 26 weeks, and the study took place at 690 different sites from 2014 to 2017.
Based on the results, researchers concluded that the relative risk of dying from kidney-related complications are 34 percent lower among those taking canagliflozin than those taking a placebo. They also concluded that per 1,000 patients, the drug would also prevent approximately 22 hospitalizations and 25 cardiac-event-related deaths.
It's part of a class of drugs called SGLT2 inhibitors, which lowers blood sugar levels via the kidneys. Essentially, the drug blocks the reabsorption of glucose into the blood from the urine that's on its way out, thus allowing the patient to remove a significant amount of glucose from their system.
However, the reason why this drug's mechanism is so beneficial to the heart and kidneys is still somewhat unknown. It could, in the future, be used primarily for this purpose while another treatment or drug manages the glucose levels in those with type 2 diabetes.
Of course, the new drug isn't without its risks. The Journal of Medicine notes that there is an increased risk of needing a lower limb amputation and diabetic ketoacidosis, but researchers saw no significant difference in risk during the study. All we know is that this could be a big stride forward in treating one of the largest health challenges we, as Americans, face.
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