New Lilly, Boehringer Diabetes Drug Performs Well in Trial

This past Monday, Eli Lilly and Co, together with Boehringer Ingelheim made it public news that a new diabetes drug known as empagliflozin did well in trials, meaning that it proved quite successful in terms of lowering the blood sugar levels of patients suffering with type 2 diabetes.

The companies explained that the chemical compounds present in this particular drug keep an individual's kidney from reabsorbing glucose.

As well as this, they help make sure that the glucose content of one's urine increases, something that also translates into lowered blood sugar levels.

“"Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly are encouraged by the efficacy and safety results for empagliflozin,” argued Prof. Klaus Dugi, corporate senior vice president medicine, Boehringer Ingelheim.

“Many patients with type 2 diabetes are not meeting their blood sugar level goals, and alternative treatment options are needed for them. We believe we are now one step closer to bringing a new treatment option to these patients,” he went on to add.

These results were obtained by conducting four complete Phase III clinical trials, World Pharma News says, during which empagliflozin was administered to patients both alone, and in combination with other diabetes drugs (i.e. metformin, sulfonylurea, pioglitazone).

Apparently, specialists have only managed to link this new diabetes drug to one type of side effects: an increased risk of developing genital infections.

For the time being, as many as 371 million people worldwide are suffering with either type 1, or type 2 diabetes, the latter being the most widely spread (about 90% of all reported and documented cases of diabetes).

Therefore, the fact that this new drug achieved positive results while being tested in these clinical trials comes as good news indeed.

“Diabetes is growing at a tremendous rate across the world. Patients and their physicians need more treatment options in order to help improve their blood sugar levels and reach their treatment goals,” Enrique Conterno, president, Lilly Diabetes, wished to emphasize.