RARITAN, N.J., Sept. 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new indication for Invokana (canagliflozin) to reduce the risk of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), worsening of kidney function, cardiovascular (CV) death, and hospitalization for heart failure in adults with type 2 diabetes and diabetic kidney disease (nephropathy) with a certain amount of protein in the urine. Invokana is now the only type 2 diabetes medicine indicated to both treat diabetic kidney disease and reduce the risk of hospitalization for heart failure in patients with T2D and DKD. T2D is the leading cause of kidney disease in the United States1 and the fifth fastest-growing cause of death around the world.2
“With the approval of these new uses, Invokana is now the only diabetes medicine indicated to help type 2 diabetes patients reduce the risks associated with diabetic kidney disease, including hospitalization for heart failure,” said James List, M.D., Ph.D., Global Therapeutic Area Head, Cardiovascular & Metabolism, Janssen Research & Development, LLC. “This significant advancement addresses serious unmet needs and could change the trajectory of care for the many millions of patients living with type 2 diabetes and diabetic kidney disease.”
In the United States, one in three people with T2D has DKD,1 which multiplies the risk of cardiovascular complications including heart failure and CV death, and puts patients on a trajectory to dialysis and kidney transplant.1,2 Additionally, heart failure is one of the leading causes of hospitalization,3 with a high unmet need for effective treatment options. With this approval, Invokana is the only type 2 diabetes medicine indicated to reduce the risk of hospitalization for heart failure in patients with T2D and DKD, and is the first new treatment option in nearly 20 years indicated to slow the progression of DKD in these patients.4,5,6
“Given the nation’s heightened focus on kidney health at the highest levels of government, this approval couldn’t have come at a better time and offers real hope for patients with type 2 diabetes and diabetic kidney disease,” said LaVerne A. Burton, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Kidney Fund.* “We know that the real battle to turn the tide on kidney disease is in early detection and slowing its progression so that patients stay healthier and fewer patients reach kidney failure. We are so grateful that advances in kidney disease research are producing treatment options that help to slow the progression of diabetic kidney disease and reduce the risk of hospitalization for heart failure.”
The new indication is based on results from the landmark Phase 3 CREDENCE study in patients with T2D and DKD, which was stopped early because it met the prespecified criteria for efficacy. In CREDENCE, Invokana 100 mg demonstrated a 30 percent reduction in the risk of the primary composite endpoint, comprising end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), doubling of serum creatinine and renal or CV death.† Results also showed Invokana reduced the risk of secondary CV endpoints, including a 39 percent reduction in the risk of hospitalization for heart failure. Overall, adverse events and serious adverse events were similar but numerically lower in the Invokana group compared to placebo. The rates of diabetic ketoacidosis and genital mycotic infections were numerically higher in the Invokana group, as observed in other clinical trials. Additionally, there was no imbalance in lower limb amputation or bone fracture in this trial and no new safety signals were identified.
“Millions of T2D patients around the world have DKD and almost half of them aren’t even aware of it. By the time they are referred to a nephrologist, it is often too late because their disease has progressed to the point where dialysis is inevitable,” said CREDENCE study investigator George Bakris, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Director, Comprehensive Hypertension Center, University of Chicago.‡ “For nearly two decades, we’ve been searching for a treatment that can help us intervene earlier to slow kidney disease progression. With the approval for this new indication for Invokana, physicians will not only be able to help reduce the risks associated with diabetic kidney disease, but also reduce the risk of hospitalization for heart failure in patients with T2D and DKD.”
About CREDENCE
CREDENCE (Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation) is the first dedicated renal outcomes study of any sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor in patients with T2D and DKD in addition to standard of care. The study is a randomized, double-blind, event-driven, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, 2-arm, multicenter study, which evaluated 4,401 patients with T2D, Stage 2 or 3 DKD (defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] of ≥30 to <90 mL/min/1.73 m2) and macroalbuminuria (defined as urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio [ACR] >300 to ≤5,000 mg/g) who were receiving standard of care, including a maximum tolerated labeled daily dose of an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB). The primary efficacy outcome for these analyses was the composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplant, or eGFR <15), doubling of serum creatinine, and renal death or cardiovascular (CV) death. Specified secondary outcomes included a composite of heart attack, stroke, or CV death and a composite of CV death or hospitalization for heart failure.
About Invokana
Invokana is a prescription medicine used:
- along with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar (glucose) in adults with type 2 diabetes
- to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death in adults with type 2 diabetes who have known cardiovascular disease
- to reduce the risk of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), worsening of kidney function, cardiovascular death, and hospitalization for heart failure in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and diabetic kidney disease (nephropathy) with a certain amount of protein in the urine
Invokana is not for people with type 1 diabetes or with diabetic ketoacidosis (increased ketones in blood or urine). It is not known if Invokana is safe and effective in children under 18 years of age.
About Janssen Cardiovascular & Metabolism
In Cardiovascular & Metabolism (CVM), we take on the most pervasive diseases that burden hundreds of millions of people and healthcare systems around the world. As part of this long-standing commitment and propelled by our successes in treating T2D and thrombosis, we advance highly differentiated therapies that prevent and treat life-threatening cardiovascular, metabolic and retinal diseases. Uncovering new therapies that can improve the quality of life for this large segment of the population is an important endeavor – one which Janssen CVM will continue to lead in the years to come. Our mission is global, local and personal. Together, we can reshape the future of cardiovascular, metabolic and retinal disease prevention and treatment. Please visit www.janssen.com/cardiovascular-and-metabolism.
About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson
At Janssen, we’re creating a future where disease is a thing of the past. We’re the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, working tirelessly to make that future a reality for patients everywhere by fighting sickness with science, improving access with ingenuity, and healing hopelessness with heart. We focus on areas of medicine where we can make the biggest difference: Cardiovascular & Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases & Vaccines, Neuroscience, Oncology, and Pulmonary Hypertension.
Learn more at www.janssen.com. Follow us at www.twitter.com/JanssenGlobal. Janssen Research & Development, LLC is part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.
Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding the potential benefits and further development of canagliflozin. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, any of the other Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: challenges and uncertainties inherent in product research and development, including the uncertainty of clinical success and of obtaining regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success; manufacturing difficulties and delays; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges to patents; product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action; changes in behavior and spending patterns of purchasers of health care products and services; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2018, including in the sections captioned “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” and in the company’s most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the company’s subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. None of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies nor Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments.
- Bailey RA, Wang Y, Zhu V, Rupnow MF. Chronic kidney disease in US adults with type 2 diabetes: an updated national estimate of prevalence based on Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) staging. BMC Research Notes. 2014;7:415. doi:10.1186/1756-0500-7-415.
- GBD 2017 Causes of Death Collaborators. Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality for 282 causes of death in 195 countries and territories, 1980-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet. 2018;392(10159):1736–1788. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32203-7.
- Gilbert RE, Connelly K, Kelly DJ, Pollock CA, Krum K. Heart failure and nephropathy: catastrophic and interrelated complications of diabetes. CJASN. 2006;1(2):193-208. doi:10.2215/CJN.00540705.
- Mogensen CE. Long-term antihypertensive treatment inhibiting progression of diabetic nephropathy. BMJ. 1982;285:685-688.
- Cozaar® [prescribing information]. Whitehouse Station, NJ: Merck & Co., Inc.; 2018.
- Avapro® [prescribing information]. Bridgewater, NJ: Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC; 2018.
* Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a corporate sponsor for the American Kidney Fund.
† There were too few events to evaluate the risk of renal death. INVOKANA® is not indicated to reduce the risk of renal death.
‡ Dr. George Bakris was compensated for his work on the CREDENCE study.
Source: Janssen
Posted: September 2019
