Efficacy and safety of canagliflozin alone or as add-on to other oral antihyperglycemic drugs in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes: A 52-week open-label study.

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: Canagliflozin is a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor under development for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Our aim was to examine its efficacy and safety as monotherapy or in combination with commonly used oral antihyperglycemic drugs in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients on diet/exercise alone or diet/exercise plus an oral antihyperglycemic drug (sulfonylurea, glinide, α-glucosidase inhibitor, biguanide, thiazolidinedione or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor) were randomized to either 100 or 200 mg canagliflozin while continuing prior therapy. Patients were treated for 52 weeks in an open-label manner. RESULTS: Canagliflozin significantly reduced hemoglobin A1c, fasting plasma glucose and bodyweight in all the study groups. Improvements were apparent by 4 weeks of treatment, and were maintained for 52 weeks. The reduction in hemoglobin A1c ranged from -0.80 to -1.06%, and from -0.93 to -1.26% in the 100 and 200 mg canagliflozin groups, respectively. Drug-related adverse events occurred in approximately one-third of patients, and included hypoglycemia/asymptomatic hypoglycemia and pollakiuria. Hypoglycemia/asymptomatic hypoglycemia was most common in patients treated with a sulfonylurea. Most adverse events were classified as mild or moderate in severity. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study confirmed that treatment with canagliflozin resulted in significant reductions in glycemic control and bodyweight that were maintained for 52 weeks of treatment irrespective of whether it was administered as monotherapy or in combination with another oral antihyperglycemic drug. Canagliflozin was well tolerated, with a low incidence of drug-related adverse events. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (no. NCT01387737).

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of canagliflozin in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and moderate renal impairment.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study examined the effects of moderate renal impairment on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of canagliflozin in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Japanese patients with stable type 2 diabetes (12 with moderate renal impairment and 12 with normal renal function or mild renal impairment) were eligible. This was an open-label, randomized, two-way crossover, two-sequence, single-dose study performed at a single center in Japan. The subjects were hospitalized for the pharmacodynamic/pharmacokinetic evaluations. Twenty-four patients received a single dose each of canagliflozin 100 and 200 mg before breakfast in a crossover manner with a 14-day washout between doses. The main outcome measures were pharmacokinetics of canagliflozin and its main metabolites (M5 and M7) in plasma and urine, and change from baseline in 24-h urinary glucose excretion (ΔUGE24 h). RESULTS: There was no significant effect of moderate renal impairment on the maximum canagliflozin concentration. The ratios of least square means (90 % confidence intervals [CIs]) of moderate renal impairment relative to normal renal function or mild renal impairment were 0.982 (0.821-1.173) and 0.989 (0.827-1.182) for the 100 and 200 mg doses, respectively. The canagliflozin area under the plasma concentration-time curve was greater in those with moderate renal impairment than in those without, after both canagliflozin doses (ratio of least square means [90 % CI] 1.258 [1.061-1.490] and 1.216 [1.026-1.441]). ΔUGE24 h increased after administration of both doses, but in patients with moderate renal impairment, the increase was approximately 70 % of that in patients with normal renal function or mild renal impairment. The incidence of adverse events was low and no patient developed hypoglycemia. CONCLUSION: The pharmacokinetics of canagliflozin are affected by renal function, with slight decreases in renal clearance observed. No effect of renal impairment on the maximum concentration was observed. Renal impairment reduced the ability of canagliflozin to promote urinary glucose excretion.

Efficacy and safety of canagliflozin monotherapy in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled with diet and exercise: a 24-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase III study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the efficacy and safety of canagliflozin monotherapy, a sodium/glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor, in Japanese type 2 diabetes patients. METHODS: In this double-blind, multi-centre Phase III study, patients aged ≥ 20 years with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) 7.0-10.0% on diet/exercise therapy alone received placebo or canagliflozin (100 or 200 mg) once daily for 24 weeks. The main outcome measure was the change in HbA1c from baseline to Week 24. RESULTS: The changes in HbA1c (-0.74 and -0.76 vs + 0.29%), fasting plasma glucose (1 mg/dl = 0.0555 mmol/l; -31.6 and -31.9 vs + 3.7 mg/dl), 2-h plasma glucose after 75-g glucose load (-84.9 and -79.0 vs -0.5 mg/dl), body weight (percent change: -3.76 and -4.02 vs -0.76%) and systolic blood pressure (-7.88 and -6.24 vs -2.72 mmHg) were significantly greater with 100 and 200 mg canagliflozin than with placebo (all, p < 0.05). Genital infections in females (6.5, 6.3 and 0%) and asymptomatic hypoglycemia (4.4, 5.6 and 2.2%), but not symptomatic hypoglycemia (2.2, 1.1 and 1.1%), were more frequent in the 100- and 200-mg groups than in the placebo group. CONCLUSION: Canagliflozin significantly improved glycemic control and was well tolerated.