SGLT2 inhibitors in cardiovascular medicine

Abstract

Glifozins are a relatively new class of drugs targeting and inhibiting sodium-glucose co-transporters (SGLTs). SGLT2 is the major cotransporter involved in glucose reabsorption in the kidney, and its inhibitors prevent the reabsorption of glucose in the kidney, increasing glycosuria and lowering blood glucose levels.1,2 Of the numerous SGLT2 inhibitors available, empagliflozin, canagliflozin, and dapagliflozin have been approved and licenced by both the EMA and the FDA. Recent evidence has shown that these drugs can have beneficial effects in patients with cardiovascular disorders. Two landmark clinical trials involvingtype 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease have shown that subjects treated with canagliflozin had a lower risk of cardiovascular events than those who received placebo.3 Moreover, among HF patients with a reduced ejection fraction, the risk of worsening HF or death from cardiovascular causes was lower among those who received...