A Study to Test How Well Empagliflozin Works in Japanese People With Type 2 Diabetes Who Are Older Than 65 Years

This study is to assess the efficacy of empagliflozin 10 mg after 52 weeks compared to placebo in elderly patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to explore if empagliflozin has any impact on patient physical condition compared to placebo in elderly patients with T2DM.


Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Japanese (defined as patient has parents who are Japanese) patients with diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) prior to informed consent
* Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) ≥7.0% and ≤10.0% for patients at Visit 1 (screening). If the patient is on treatment with oral antidiabetic drug(s) potentially associated with severe hypoglycaemia (e.g., sulfonylurea or glinides), the following HbA1c value is used as criterion

  * HbA1c ≥7.5% and ≤10.0% for age ≥65 and \<75
  * HbA1c ≥8.0% and ≤10.0% for age ≥75
* Patients on diet and exercise regimen who are drug-naïve (drug-naïve is defined as no antidiabetic drugs for at least 12 weeks prior to informed consent) or on treatment with any oral antidiabetic drug (OAD) other than Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists and Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor. Antidiabetic therapy has to be unchanged for 12 weeks prior to randomisation (any thiazolidinedione therapy has to be unchanged for at least 18 weeks prior to informed consent).
* Age ≥65 years at informed consent
* BMI ≥22 kg/m2 at Visit 1 (screening)
* Male or post-menopausal (a point in time 12 months after a woman's last period) female patients
* Patient signed and dated written informed consent in accordance with International Conference on Harmonization (ICH)- Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and local legislation prior to admission to the Trial

Exclusion Criteria:

* Uncontrolled hyperglycaemia with a fasting glucose level \>200 milligram per deciliter (mg/dL) (\>11.1 millimol per Liter (mmol/L)) during run-in period
* Treatment with insulin within 12 weeks prior to informed consent
* Impaired cognitive ability as supported by Mini mental state examination (MMSE-J, defined as ≤23) and verified by the investigator at screening
* Acute coronary syndrome (ST-elevation myocardial infarction \[STEMI\], non-STEMI, and unstable angina pectoris), stroke or transient ischemic attack within 12 weeks prior to informed consent
* Indication of liver disease, defined by serum levels of either alanine aminotransferase (ALT = serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase \[SGPT\]), aspartate aminotransferase (AST = serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase\[SGOT\]), or alkaline phosphatase (ALP) above 3 x upper limit of normal (ULN) as determined during screening and run-in period
* Impaired renal function, defined as Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \<45 milliliter per minute per 1.73 square meter (mL/min/1.73 m2, severe renal impairment, Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula) as determined during screening and run-in period
* Low grip strength defined as \<28 kilogram (kg) for male or as \<18 kg for female at screening
* Short length of calf circumference defined as \<34 centimeter (cm) for male or 33 cm for female at screening
* further exclusion criteria apply