Diabetes Drug 'Jardiance' May Reduce Risk Of Cardiovascular Deaths

Diabetics who take Jardiance were 35 percent less likely to be hospitalized for heart failure and 32 percent less likely to die of any cause.

A drug to treat diabetes is found effective to lower risk of death from cardiovascular conditions, such as heart attack, heart failure and stroke.

The study found that people with diabetes who add Jardiance to their regimen of diabetes medications are less likely to die from cardiovascular conditions. The study participants were monitored for three years. During this period, the researchers found that Jardiance users were 35 percent less likely to be hospitalized for heart failure and 32 percent less likely to die of any cause.

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Other diabetic medications also have additional health benefits beside normalizing blood sugar levels but none of them managed to lower mortality risk from heart disease in diabetes patients.

“It’s an amazing result; very unexpected and wonderful news,” said, Dr Christopher P. Cannon of Women’s Hospital in Boston who had no association with the research.

Diabetics are 5 to 8 times more likely to develop heart disease or having deadly heart attack or stroke.

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“Other diabetes medications only improve metabolic function but they don’t have a positive effect on patients’ heart health. On the contrary, some diabetes drugs may even increase risk of stroke and heart attack on the long run,” said Dr Cannon.

Steven Nissen, a researcher with Cleveland Clinic who persuaded the FDA panel to take into account cardiovascular disease risks when assessing the safety of diabetes medications, said “Jardiance is the first diabetes medication that prevents heart disease and death.”

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The Food and Drug Administration approved Jardiance in 2014, but clinical trials have been conducted ever since to look for other health benefits to it reining in diabetes.

Jardiance makers hope that the newly found health benefit may increase the drugs popularity among clinicians. However, the price of the drug may be prohibitive to many.

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The study also found that one in 39 diabetics could avoid premature death from heart disease with help from the new diabetes drug.

The researchers claimed that their drug may be as effective as statins and better than many blood pressure medications in fighting severe cardiovascular events.

Source-Medindia