SGLT-2 Inhibitor Empagliflozin Effects on Appetite and Weight Regulation.
Condition: Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
MeSH terms: Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 4

Summary: 
      The aim of this study is to investigate the cause for the discrepancy in predicted and
      observed weight loss with Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) by measuring appetite regulation.

      Major secondary objectives are to determine the effects of Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) on
      energy expenditure and change in total body weight and body composition.

      The primary outcome is change in appetite hormone concentrations (specifically total PYY)
      between baseline and 24 weeks: - this will be measured by sequential blood sampling during
      visits 1-5.

      Secondary outcomes, which are exploratory, are effect on appetite hormones (ghrelin and
      GLP-1), appetite perceptions, total body weight and fat and fat free mass, energy
      expenditure, appetite perception, physical activity and blood and urine biochemical
      parameters after Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) treatment for 24 weeks.

      The sample size for the study is 76 participants and the planned trial duration is 21 months,
      with participants receiving approximately 24 weeks of exposure to Empagliflozin (Jardiance™).
    

Detailed description: 
      Out of a family of six sodium glucose co-transporters, two have been extensively studied for
      therapeutic indications involving glucose reabsorption from the glomerular filtrate. Sodium
      glucose co-transporter-1 (SGLT-1), which is mainly found in both the renal tubule and
      enterocytes lining intestinal villi, transfers glucose across a concentration gradient
      resulting in glucose absorption from the gut and accounting for 10% of the glucose
      reabsorption from the renal tubules. Sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2), which is
      mostly found in the kidneys, is responsible for reabsorbing 90% of the glucose that is
      filtered by the renal tubules. Compared with healthy individuals, SGLT-2 is over-expressed
      and over-activated in those with type 2 diabetes.

      SGLT-2 inhibitors are a new class of glucose-lowering drugs for the management of type 2
      diabetes which reduce plasma glucose levels by increasing urinary glucose excretion (UGE) by
      up to 60-80g (240-320 kilo Calories) per day. SGLT-1 inhibitors and combined SGLT-1 and -2
      inhibitors are currently in development.

      Several SGLT-2 inhibitors are commercially available and licensed for use in the UK including
      dapagliflozin, canagliflozin and Empagliflozin (Jardiance™). They all lower glycated
      haemoglobin (HbA1c) effectively compared with placebo (mean difference vs. placebo -0.66%
      (95% Confidence Interval, -0.73% to -0.58%). They also result in weight loss of approximately
      1.8kg compared with placebo and in combination with other oral hypoglycaemic medications.
      Some of this weight loss can be attributed to fluid loss due to osmotic diuresis from UGE.
      Weight is lost from both subcutaneous and visceral stores of adipose tissue.

      Phase II studies have shown that the highly selective and potent SGLT-2 inhibitor
      Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) results in significant reductions in HbA1c level after 12 weeks of
      therapy compared with placebo (HbA1c 0.4-0.6% reduction with 5-25mg daily dose, p<0.0001) and
      reduction was similar to that seen with metformin. Weight loss of between 1.81-2.33kg was
      also achieved depending on Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) dose along with reduction in fasting
      plasma glucose (FPG). Similar improvements in HbA1c, weight and FPG have been seen in phase
      III trials with Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) both as monotherapy and in combination with
      metformin, sulphonylureas or insulin.

      Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) is licensed in the UK for use in type 2 diabetes management. In
      this study, we will be using Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) according to its licensed indications
      and dosage. The commonest known side-effects include urinary tract and genital mycotic
      infections which are more frequent in women than men and generally mild in severity.
      Dehydration and postural hypotension may occur due to volume depletion and modest lowering of
      blood pressure. Increased urinary frequency may also occur. Increased risk of hypoglycaemia
      is observed when Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) is combined with sulphonylureas or insulin.

      Weight loss from increased UGE and net energy loss with SGLT-2 inhibitors is less than
      expected as shown by studies in patients with type 2 diabetes. Endogenous glucose production
      is markedly increased with shifting of substrate utilisation from carbohydrate to lipid.

      Up to 90g of glucose are excreted per day with Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) which equates to
      360 kilo Calories per day lost by glycosuria. A 90 week study of patients with type 2
      diabetes treated with Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) 25mg daily showed that average weight loss
      was 3.2±4.2kg representing a calorie deficit of 51 kilo Calories /day (interquartile range
      112). This was 29%±41% of the expected loss of 11.3±3.1kg predicted by glycosuria of 206 kilo
      Calories per day using a validated mathematical model (http://bwsimulator.niddk.nih.gov). An
      increase in daily calorie intake of 269 kilo Calories /day [Inter Quartile Range 258] and
      daily energy expenditure appear to be the adaptive responses due to Empagliflozin
      (Jardiance™) therapy and the combination of SGLT-2 inhibitors and calorie restriction has
      been recommended by the authors of this study.

      Appetite stimulation resulting in increased energy intake may be the underlying mechanism for
      this weight loss deficit. Furthermore, glucagon response is increased by SGLT-2 inhibition
      using Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) and dapagliflozin.

      Appetite hormones such as peptide Y-Y (PYY) and ghrelin are important in the control of
      appetite and weight regulation. They are secreted from intestinal L cells which are found in
      the distal small intestine. Ghrelin, which stimulates hunger, has been shown to increase with
      weight loss and energy restriction diets. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is another hormone
      which is involved in the regulation of appetite and satiety along with other glucose
      homeostatic effects.

      There are no studies that have investigated the impact of SGLT-2 inhibitors on appetite
      hormones and effect on body composition. It is essential to understand these mechanisms in
      order to maximize the weight loss achievable with these agents. They may need to be combined
      with appropriate dietary measures such as energy restriction diets and weight-lowering or
      weight-neutral hypoglycaemic therapies for optimal clinical benefit. The aim of our study is
      to explore the relationship between appetite hormones and Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) in order
      to understand the underlying mechanisms for observed weight loss which does not equate with
      that predicted for these agents.

      Primary Objective:

      The aim of this study is to investigate the cause for the discrepancy in predicted and
      observed weight loss with Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) by measuring appetite regulation.

      Secondary Objectives:

      To determine the effects of Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) on resting energy expenditure and
      change in total body weight and body composition.

      Study End Points:

      The primary endpoint is effect on appetite hormones (specifically total PYY) with
      Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) after treatment for 24 weeks.

      Secondary endpoints, which are exploratory, are effect on:

      (i) Appetite hormones ghrelin and GLP-1 and appetite perception (ii) Total body weight and
      change in body composition (fat and fat free mass) (iii) Resting energy expenditure (iv)
      Physical activity (v) Change in blood and urine biochemical parameters.

      This study is a randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled trial conducted over 24 weeks in
      male and postmenopausal female participants with type 2 diabetes on lifestyle control or
      stable metformin dose only to compare the effects of Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) on appetite
      and weight regulation compared with placebo and energy restriction diet.

      Participants will be randomised to one of four arms at baseline:- (i) Empagliflozin
      (Jardiance™) 25mg once daily (ii) Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) 25mg once daily and energy
      restriction diet (iii) Placebo (iv) Placebo and energy restriction diet Participants will be
      stratified for age and BMI. STUDY CONDUCT Participant Withdrawal:- Each participant has the
      right to withdraw from the study at any time without needing to give a reason. The
      investigator may discontinue a participant from the study at any time if considered
      necessary. The reason for withdrawal will be recorded in the CRF and medical records. If the
      participant is withdrawn due to an adverse event, the investigator will arrange for follow-up
      visits or telephone calls until the adverse event has resolved or stabilised. The duration of
      safety follow-ups will be at least five half-lives of the study medication. The half-life of
      Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) is 12.4 hours, thus the duration of safety follow-ups will be
      rounded up to be at least 72 hours (or 3 days). The participant will be withdrawn from the
      study if they lose capacity and data collected up to that point will be used for analysis. As
      analysis will be on an intention-to-treat basis, there will be analysis of all data of
      participants receiving study medication (e.g. most safety analyses) and data will be admitted
      to the database even after the participant has withdrawn from the study.

      Source Data:- Source documents are original documents, data, and records from which
      participants' CRF data will be obtained. These include, but are not limited to, hospital
      records (from which medical history and previous and concurrent medication will be summarised
      into the CRF), clinical and office charts, laboratory and pharmacy records, diaries,
      microfiches, radiographs, and correspondence. On all study-specific documents, other than the
      signed consent, the participant will be referred to by the study participant number/code
      only, and not by name.

      Drug Management:- The licensed product Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) will be handled according
      to the University Hospitals of Leicester pharmacy in-house protocols.

      Compliance with Study Treatment:- The participants will be instructed to return all unused or
      part-used medication and packaging from used medication at each visit. The Investigator may
      withdraw the participants if they consider dose compliance is unsatisfactory.

      Concomitant Medication:- Throughout the study, Investigators will be able to prescribe any
      concomitant medications or treatments deemed necessary to provide adequate supportive care
      except for those listed in the exclusion criteria. If these are required, the participant
      will be withdrawn. Any medication, other than the study medication taken during the study
      will be recorded in the CRF. Contraindicated medications during the study will include any
      other glucose-lowering therapies apart from metformin. Loop diuretic therapy will also be
      contraindicated. As study drug Empagliflozin (Jardiance™), placebo and metformin do not cause
      hypoglycaemia, participants will not be expected to perform home blood glucose monitoring
      during the study.

      SAFETY REPORTING Expected Serious Adverse Events/Reactions (SAE):- The most common adverse
      events seen with Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) are urinary tract and mycotic fungal infections
      (e.g. balanitis) and volume depletion leading to dehydration, postural hypotension and
      dizziness. If these events lead to hospitalisation of the participant, they will require
      immediate reporting to the study team. Otherwise, they will be treated as an AE and need
      reporting to the study team within 2 working days.

      Abnormalities of renal and liver function will also be closely monitored as part of the usual
      study visits and any significant clinical deterioration in renal and/or liver function will
      be reported as an SAE. A serious deterioration in renal function to be classified as an SAE
      will be a reduction in eGFR to less than 30ml/min/1.73m2. A serious deterioration in liver
      function will be classified as an SAE if ALT (Alanine aminotransferase) or AST (Aspartate
      aminotransferase) is 3 x greater than the upper limit of normal.

      Ketoacidosis and Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) have recently been reported as a possible
      serious SAE occurring with SGLT-2 inhibitor use by the US Food and Drugs Administration.
      Participants will be closely monitored for the development of this SAE and will be advised to
      seek medical attention immediately if they experience symptoms such as difficulty breathing,
      nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, confusion, unusual fatigue or sleepiness, anorexia,
      excessive thirst, dehydration, low food intake, weight loss, infection, poor control of
      diabetes, and/or only moderately increased glucose levels.

      In patients where DKA is suspected or diagnosed, treatment with SGLT-2 inhibitors will be
      discontinued immediately. Restarting SGLT-2 inhibitor treatment in patients with previous DKA
      while on SGLT-2 inhibitor treatment is not recommended unless another clear precipitating
      factor is identified and resolved. Treatment will also be interrupted in patients who are
      hospitalised for major surgical procedures or acute medical illnesses. In both cases,
      treatment with SGLT-2 inhibitors may be restarted once the patient's condition has stabilised
      and only once the necessary safety assessments have been performed. The decision to stop or
      interrupt and subsequently re-start the study treatment Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) will be
      documented in the participant's medical notes. Any decisions regarding the withdrawal of
      participants from the study will be made by the study clinician and Principal Investigator.

      Suspected Unexpected Serious Adverse Reactions (SUSAR) A serious adverse reaction, the nature
      or severity of which is not consistent with the Summary of Product Characteristics for
      Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) will be reported as a SUSAR.

      Adverse Events of Special Interests (AESI) Adverse Events of Special Interests (AESI)

        -  Decreased renal function: creatinine value shows a ≥ 2 fold increase from baseline and
           is above ULN

        -  Hepatic injury defined by the following alterations of liver parameters after
           randomization at visit 1:-

             -  Elevation of AST and/or ALT≥3 fold ULN combined with an elevation of total
                bilirubin≥2 fold ULN measured in the same blood draw sample

             -  Isolated elevation of AST and/or ALT≥5 fold ULN irrespective of any bilirubin
                elevation

        -  Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) o DKA is defined by the diagnostic criteria in the table
           below, and as defined by the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

      Investigators should note that not all criteria in Table 2 (below) need to apply for the
      diagnosis of DKA, and clinical judgment should also be taken into consideration. Due to its
      mechanism of action, Empagliflozin (Jardiance™) may potentially modify the clinical
      presentation of DKA which may occur at lower plasma glucose levels.

      If any AESIs occur they will be reported to the Sponsor and Boehringer Ingelheim using the
      same procedure as reporting Serious Adverse Events (SAEs).

      Reporting Procedures for Serious Adverse Events:- All SAEs will be reported internally to the
      Sponsor within one working day (24 hours) of discovery or notification of the event. The SAE
      will be reported using appropriate forms and the immediate report will be made in writing and
      shall be followed by a detailed written report of the event. Additional information can be
      provided if requested to the Sponsor and main Research Ethics Committee (REC) (e.g. in the
      event of a death). The Principal Investigator or another delegated physician is responsible
      for the review and sign off of the SAE, or in their absence, another member of the team (in
      order to avoid a delay).

      The Sponsor will perform an initial check of the information and ensure that it is reviewed
      at the next R&D management meeting. All SAE information must be recorded on an SAE form and
      sent to the Sponsor. Additional information received for a case (follow-up or corrections to
      the original case) needs to be detailed on a new SAE form and sent to the Sponsor.

      The Sponsor will report all SUSARs to the MHRA and the REC concerned. Fatal or
      life-threatening SUSARs must be reported within 7 days and all other SUSARs within 15 days.
      The Chief Investigator will inform all investigators concerned of relevant information about
      SUSARs that could adversely affect the safety of participants. The Sponsor will use the
      Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) as the Reference Safety Information (RSI) when
      determining the expectedness of any untoward medical occurrences and thus SAE/SUSAR
      reporting.

      In addition to the expedited reporting above, the Chief Investigator will submit once a year
      throughout the clinical study or on request a Developmental Safety Update Report (DSUR) to
      the MHRA and REC. The PI will inform all investigators concerned of relevant information
      about SUSARs that could adversely affect the safety of participants.

      STATISTICS Description of Statistical Methods:- Participants recruited to the study will be
      compared within and by treatment group. For the latter, each active treatment arm, whether
      medication, medication and energy restriction diet or placebo and energy restriction diet,
      will be compared against the placebo only arm. Baseline variables will be presented by arm
      using N (%) for categorical variables and mean (standard deviation) or median (interquartile
      range) as appropriate, for continuous variables.

      The primary outcome is change in appetite hormones from baseline to week 24 within and
      between treatment groups. AUC values for appetite hormone measurements at baseline and 24
      weeks will be calculated using the trapezoidal rule. Paired t-tests or equivalent
      non-parametric tests will be used to analyse the change in appetite hormones within
      individual treatment groups. One way analysis of variance will be used to calculate mean
      changes in AUC from baseline to 24 weeks by treatment group. Adjusted treatment effects will
      be calculated via linear regression analysis or similarly appropriate methods, to compare
      each treatment against placebo. Models will include a categorical treatment variable and will
      be adjusted for stratification factors; age and BMI as well as baseline AUC value. Changes in
      appetite hormones from baseline to weeks 2, 6 and 12 will also be analysed using the same
      methods; however will represent hypothesis generating analyses only. Similarly, overall
      changes in appetite hormones over time will be analysed using multilevel models, adjusted for
      stratification factors.

      The analysis for the primary outcome will be repeated for secondary endpoints; changes in
      resting energy expenditure, weight and body composition, physical activity and biochemical
      parameters from baseline.

      All analyses of outcome data will be carried out on a complete case basis, so only those
      patients with complete data will be included in the analysis. Intention to treat and per
      protocol analyses will be carried out as sensitivity analyses, using multiple imputation and
      including only those who remain on their treatment regimen for the duration of the study,
      respectively.

      The Number of Participants:- The power calculation is based on the primary outcome of change
      in appetite hormones and a standard deviation of area under the curve of 96.2pg/ml of total
      PYY based on a study looking at the influence of resistance and aerobic exercise on hunger
      and circulating levels of total PYY in healthy males. To detect a minimum clinically
      significant difference of 120pg/ml in area under the curve of total PYY between groups, we
      will require 15 participants in each of the four arms with 80% power and 2-sided alpha of
      1.7%. This will allow three comparisons between arms. To account for up to 20% dropout, 19
      participants will be required in each arm; therefore 76 participants will be recruited in
      total.

      The Level of Statistical Significance:- Statistical significance will be taken at the level
      of p<0.05. QUALITY CONTROL AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROCEDURES The study will be conducted in
      accordance with the current approved protocol, International Conference on Harmonisation Good
      Clinical Practice, relevant regulations and standard operating procedures (SOPs).

      Regular monitoring will be performed according to International Conference on Harmonisation
      Good Clinical Practice. Data will be evaluated for compliance with the protocol and accuracy
      in relation to source documents. Following written standard operating procedures, the
      monitors will verify that the clinical trial is conducted and data are generated, documented
      and reported in compliance with the protocol, Good Clinical Practice and the applicable
      regulatory requirements.

      STUDY GOVERNANCE The study will be conducted in accordance with the Research Governance
      Framework for Health and Social Care, ICH GCP and the Data Protection Act. The Sponsor
      responsible for checking research governance arrangements will be the University of
      Leicester. A Trial Steering Committee (TSC), Data Safety Monitoring Committee (DSMC) and
      Project Management Committee (PMC) will be set up to support the running of the study.
    

Intervention name(s): Empagliflozin; Diet; Placebo
Intervention type(s): Drug; Behavioral; Drug
Intervention description(s): 25mg once daily to be taken orally for the duration of the study (24 weeks); Daily energy restriction diet to be followed for the duration of the study (24 weeks); Placebo once daily for the duration of the study (24 weeks)
Other intervention name(s): Jardiance; Energy restriction diet
Intervention MeSH terms: Empagliflozin
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment