Canagliflozin: Efficacy and Safety in Combination with Metformin Alone or with Other Antihyperglycemic Agents in Type 2 Diabetes

Metformin is typically the first pharmacologic treatment recommended for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but many patients do not achieve glycemic control with metformin alone and eventually require combination therapy with other agents. Canagliflozin, a sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, was assessed in a comprehensive Phase 3 clinical development program consisting of ~10,000 participants, of which ~80% were on background therapy that consisted of metformin alone or in combination with other antihyperglycemic agents (AHAs; e.g., pioglitazone, sulfonylurea, and insulin). In addition, the efficacy and safety of canagliflozin and metformin as the initial combination therapy and canagliflozin monotherapy were assessed versus metformin in treatment-naïve patients with T2DM. Across studies in patients with T2DM who were on metformin alone or in combination with other AHAs, canagliflozin 100 and 300 mg provided improvements in glycated hemoglobin for up to 104 weeks. Canagliflozin was also associated with reductions in body weight and systolic blood pressure when added to background therapy consisting of metformin alone or with other AHAs. Canagliflozin was generally well tolerated, with increased incidence of adverse events (AEs) related to the mechanism of SGLT2 inhibition (i.e., genital mycotic infections, urinary tract infections, and osmotic diuresis-related AEs). Consistent with its insulin-independent mechanism of action, canagliflozin was associated with low rates of hypoglycemia when background therapy did not include sulfonylurea or insulin. Due to its favorable efficacy and safety profile, these results suggest that adding canagliflozin to a background regimen consisting of metformin or implementing treatment with a fixed-dose regimen of canagliflozin and metformin would provide an effective and safe treatment regimen for T2DM management. Funding: Janssen Global Services, LLC.