Lilly, Boehringer say Jardiance slows kidney disease progression in
trial
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[November 05, 2022]
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Boehringer
Ingelheim and Eli Lilly said their diabetes drug Jardiance was shown to
slow the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), as they seek to
catch up with market segment leader AstraZeneca.
In a statement on Friday, the two partners said Jardiance cut the risk
of kidney disease progression and cardiovascular death by 28%, citing
results from a late-stage trial which included people with and without
diabetes.
In March, the trial was stopped early because an independent monitoring
panel found the drug's benefit to be sufficiently clear, and that
withholding it from a comparator patient group on placebo was no longer
justifiable.
Unlisted Boehringer of Germany and partner Lilly said they would soon
seek an extended authorization for CKD with regulators worldwide.
For AstraZeneca, the added approval of rival product Farxiga for use in
CKD contributed to a 53% increase in sales of the pill to $3 billion
last year.
That drug was shown in a 2020 trial, known as DAPA-CKD, to cut by 39%
the risk of kidney disease progression, or death from kidney or
cardiovascular causes.
Compared with AstraZeneca's trial, the study testing Lilly's Jardiance
included a wider group of kidney patients, such as those who had not yet
started shedding the blood protein albumin through urine.
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Bottles of the drug Jardiance, made by
Eli Lilly and Company, sit on a counter at a pharmacy in Provo,
Utah, U.S. January 9, 2020. REUTERS/George Frey/File Photo
"DAPA-CKD essentially enrolled a
higher-risk population. We've enrolled a much broader population
that is more representative of what you see in clinical practice,"
said Waheed Jamal, head of cardiovascular and metabolic medicine at
Boehringer Ingelheim.
Both drugs fall in the category of SGLT2 inhibitors
that block the kidney from reabsorbing blood sugar, which is then
excreted through urine.
Initially targeted at diabetes, the drug class has been also proven
beneficial for non-diabetics, such as those with heart failure. Some
experts expect it to slow the onset of complete loss of kidney
function, which requires costly and burdensome dialysis.
Boehringer recorded about 3.9 billion euros ($3.84 billion) in
global Jardiance sales last year, and it made royalty payments of
about $1.5 billion to Lilly.
About 37 million people in the United States are estimated to have
CKD, but many are not aware because the condition is difficult to
diagnose, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
($1 = 1.0145 euros)
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
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