The Food and Drug Administration has recently approved sotagliflozin, a medication intended for managing type 2 diabetes and kidney conditions coupled with other cardiovascular risks. Findings from an international clinical trial conducted by a researcher at Mount Sinai indicate that this drug can substantially lower the incidence of heart attacks and strokes in patients.

Sotagliflozin operates as a sodium-glucose cotransporter (SGLT) inhibitor, effectively hindering the actions of two proteins, SGLT1 and SGLT2. These proteins play a vital role in regulating glucose and sodium levels by facilitating their transport across cell membranes. Unlike many other SGLT2 inhibitors, sotagliflozin notably inhibits SGLT1 as well.

This groundbreaking study, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, is the first to demonstrate that an SGLT inhibitor offers these distinct cardiovascular advantages. The implications suggest that sotagliflozin may gain increased adoption for mitigating fatal cardiovascular risks around the globe.

According to Deepak L. Bhatt, the study chair and Director of the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital, the findings reveal a novel mechanism by which sotagliflozin simultaneously targets SGLT1 receptors located in various organs, including the kidney and heart, and SGLT2 receptors in the kidney to diminish the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

He further emphasizes that the benefits found with sotagliflozin differ significantly from those of commonly used SGLT2 inhibitors, which are prevalent in treating diabetes, heart failure, and kidney diseases.

The multicenter trial, known as SCORED, examined sotagliflozin’s efficacy in mitigating severe cardiovascular events. Researchers enrolled a total of 10,584 patients who had chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, and additional cardiovascular risk factors. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either sotagliflozin or a placebo and were monitored for an average duration of 16 months.

Patients treated with sotagliflozin exhibited a 23% decrease in the occurrence of heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular-related fatalities when compared to those in the placebo group.

Dr. Bhatt noted that this medication now provides physicians with a new avenue to decrease the global cardiovascular risk associated with heart failure, kidney disease progression, heart attacks, and strokes in patients suffering from either heart failure or type 2 diabetes alongside chronic kidney disease and other cardiovascular challenges.

Initially approved to lower the chances of cardiovascular-related deaths, reduce heart failure hospitalizations, and limit urgent heart failure visits, this new data further indicates that sotagliflozin also diminishes the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes, suggesting its potential for broader application in clinical settings.