Canagliflozin: A Novel SGLT2 Inhibitor for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes Mellitus continues to be a major non- communicable disease with global burden of 366 million at present and projected to increase to 439 to 552 million by 2030, India being the hub of diabetes. Sodium glucose transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors presents a new class of anti-diabetic drugs having an insulin-independent mechanism that offers a considerable advantage of increasing urinary glucose excretion without inducing hypoglycemia and promoting weight loss due to loss of 300 to 400kcal/day, Canagliflozin being the 1(st) successful candidate of this group and became the first SGLT2 inhibitor to be FDA approved on March 29, 2013. In various clinical trials, it has shown promising results in controlling glycemia, causing weight loss, reducing systolic and diastolic BP and cardiovascular risk. There are some safety concerns associated with its use e.g. genital mycotic infections, increased urination, urinary tract infection and hyperkalemia, which need to be carefully addressed while using this drug.