INTRODUCTION: Despite the availability of numerous anti-diabetes drugs and 
treatment guidelines, many patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) do not 
reach recommended targets for glycemic control. There remains an unmet need for 
effective and well-tolerated anti-diabetes agents that can be used as 
monotherapy or in combination with other therapies to improve glycemic control 
in patients with T2DM. Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a 
new class of treatment for T2DM that reduce hyperglycemia by reducing renal 
glucose reabsorption and thereby increasing urinary glucose excretion.
AREAS COVERED: This paper reviews the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic 
properties of the SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin , the results of clinical trials 
investigating the efficacy of empagliflozin given as monotherapy or as add-on 
therapy on glycemic control, body weight, and blood pressure in patients with 
T2DM, and the safety and tolerability profile of empagliflozin.
EXPERT OPINION: Empagliflozin offers good glycemic efficacy, weight loss, blood 
pressure reduction, and a low risk of hypoglycemia. These attributes, coupled 
with the ability to be used in virtually any combination with other 
anti-diabetes agents and at any stage in the disease process, provide a welcome 
new agent to our armamentarium of drugs to help manage T2DM.