Jardiance set to fill blockbuster void at Boehringer Ingelheim

6 April 2017
conference_big

A stellar performance from the diabetes drug Jardiance (empagliflozin) is keeping Germany’s Boehringer Ingelheim firmly on the path to growth as it prepares for the loss of patent protection on its chronic obstructive pulmonary disease blockbuster Spiriva (tiotropium).

However, at its annual press conference in Ingelheim, the actual 2016 sales figures for the oral, once-daily, selective sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, which is partnered with Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY), had to be teased out of management. The figure was 433 million euros, which was ahead of analyst forecasts and was particularly impressive given that this does not include the effect of having a cardiovascular risk reduction claim added to the label in the USA in December.

Allan Hillgrove, board member with responsibility for the company’s human pharma business unit, told The Pharma Letter that the new label has just kicked in and both Lilly and BI have only now started promoting along those lines in the USA. It means that the companies can speak to physicians and payors about the much-trumpeted EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial data from 2015 which demonstrated that Jardiance reduced the risk of dying from heart attacks or strokes by 38% in diabetes patients with cardiovascular risk.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free.  A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Login to your account

Become a subscriber

 

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now
  • Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
  • Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
  • Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
  • Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
  • Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription
The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK

Companies featured in this story

More ones to watch >


Today's issue

Company Spotlight





More Features in Pharmaceutical