Diabetes research highlights new drug benefits for blood clots and glycemic control

New research suggests the diabetes drug sotagliflozin may help prevent dangerous blood clots. In laboratory experiments conducted by University of Michigan researchers, the drug made blood platelets less likely to clump together. This effect could explain why previous clinical trials observed fewer heart attacks and strokes in some patients. While both sotagliflozin and empagliflozin block the SGLT2 protein, sotagliflozin also blocks the SGLT1 protein. In mouse models with injured blood vessels, sotagliflozin reduced clot formation by approximately 60%, whereas empagliflozin showed only a 5% to 10% reduction.

In a separate clinical development, a phase III trial involving over 500 Indian adults demonstrated the efficacy of a three-drug combination therapy. The study found that adding dapagliflozin to glimepiride and metformin in a fixed-dose combination tablet helped significantly more patients reach blood sugar targets within 16 weeks compared to dual therapy. No serious adverse events were reported during the trial. This development is particularly relevant for managing type 2 diabetes, a condition with a high prevalence in India.