ESC guidelines issued for use of SGLT2i in T2DM patients with CV risk

UK-based pharma company Mundipharma has reportedly received the news that SGLT2i (sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor) class, consisting canagliflozin, has been recommended as a first-line treatment for Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in the 2019 ESC Guidelines on Diabetes, Pre-Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases in association with the EASD. This treatment is a recommended option for patients suffering from T2DM, either on metformin or drug naïve, with a high risk of cardiovascular (CV) or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), including patients with organ damage like kidney damage as determined by proteinuria and eGFR markers, and other risk factors. The SGLT2is are also recommended for T2DM patients with elevated heart failure risk. The new guidelines were presented at the ESC 2019 Congress held in Paris and are published in the European Heart Journal. The new guidelines took into consideration information from CV outcomes studies for SGLT2i, demonstrating a range of cardiovascular benefits across the class, including positive data from CV outcomes for canagliflozin from CANVAS Programme. According to the guidelines, SGLT2i is now recommended as a first-line treatment for prevention and management of CKD (chronic kidney disease) in T2DM patients having an elevated CV risk. Recent CV outcome trials like the CREDENCE study have also observed nephroprotection, which showed that canagliflozin plus standard care reduced the risk of primary cardiovascular and renal diseases in comparison with placebo standard of care. Canagliflozin is presently being reviewed by the EMA (European Medicines Agency) seeking license extension for use in T2DM patients with CKD. Diabetes Research Department Head for IRCCS MultiMedica in Milan, Professor Antonio Ceriello commented on the new guidelines stating that the time has come for clinicians to recognize the significance of initiating an SGLT2i like canagliflozin as a first-line treatment in patients with CV diseases and other organ damage risk, with a view to improve patient outcomes in the long term. Dr. Vinicus Gomes de Lima, Mundipharma European Mecial Affairs Lead stated that CV disease is a life-threatening & significant complication of T2DM burdening healthcare systems across Europe, adding that these new guidelines would allow healthcare workers to make the best decisions and transform patient care standards. Source Credit: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190902005275/en/Mundipharma-Welcomes-New-Guidelines-ESCEASD-Recommending-First-Line