The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly and Company’s Glyxambi for treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes.Glyxambi is the first and only diabetes treatment in the U.S. to combine the dual mechanisms of action of a sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor and a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor in a once-daily tablet taken in the morning. Glyxambi combines 10 mg or 25 mg of empagliflozin with 5 mg of linagliptin.
SGLT2 inhibitors remove glucose through the urine by blocking blood glucose re-absorption in the kidney. DPP-4 inhibitors work by increasing hormones that stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin and stimulate the liver to produce less glucose. Glyxambi has been approved for the treatment of adult patients with type 2 diabetes when both empagliflozin and linagliptin are appropriate treatments.
Glyxambi is not recommended in patients with type 1 diabetes or for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis. Glyxambi has not been studied in patients with a history of pancreatitis, and it is unknown if using Glyxambi increases the risk of developing pancreatitis in these patients.
Glyxambi should not be taken by patients with severe renal impairment, end-stage renal disease or dialysis; a history of hypersensitivity reaction to linagliptin, such as anaphylaxis, angioedema, exfoliative skin conditions, urticaria, or bronchial hyperreactivity; or history of serious hypersensitivity reaction to empagliflozin. There have been postmarketing reports of acute pancreatitis, including fatal pancreatitis, in patients taking linagliptin, a component of Glyxambi Take careful notice of potential signs and symptoms of pancreatitis. If pancreatitis is suspected, promptly discontinue Glyxambi and initiate appropriate management. It is unknown whether patients with a history of pancreatitis are at increased risk for the development of pancreatitis while using Glyxambi.
