NICE calls for more evidence on type 2 diabetes drug Jardiance

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has said it is “minded not to recommend” the new diabetes drug treatment, Jardiance (empagliflozin), until it has more information from the drug’s manufacturer.
The new medication from Boehringer Ingelheim was yesterday rolled out across pharmacies in the U.S. as a prescription medication for adult patients with type 2 diabetes after receiving FDA regulatory approval earlier this month.
It also has a European marketing authorisation for the treatment of type 2 diabetes as both a monotherapy, in patients who are intolerant to metformin, and add-on combination therapy with other glucose-lowering agents including insulin when these, together with diet and exercise, do not provide adequate blood glucose control.
But in new draft guidance, the UK’s health watchdog NICE has called for more evidence from Boehringer Ingelheim on empagliflozin before it can be recommended for use on the NHS. This includes more information “to help it decide whether empagliflozin is a cost-effective use of NHS resources.”
Commenting on the draft guidance Professor Carole Longso, Director of the NICE Centre for Health Technology Evaluatio, said: “NICE already recommends several treatments, alongside lifestyle and dietary advice, specifically for managing blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. Each has its advantages and disadvantages that affect how suitable they are.
“New treatments, like empagliflozi, will help clinicians give people with type 2 diabetes the right treatment.”
She added that while there is “good evidence which shows that empagliflozin is clinically effective”, more information is needed “to demonstrate that it is cost effective when compared with other treatments the NHS already provides.”