The sodium-dependent glucose transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are an important 
emerging class for the treatment of diabetes. Development of SGLT2 inhibitors 
has been oriented around a desire for high selectivity for the SGLT2 protein 
relative to the SGLT1 protein. More recently, genetic and pharmacology research 
in mice has indicated that gastrointestinal SGLT1 inhibition may also be an 
appropriate therapeutic target to treat diabetes. Combining SGLT1 and SGLT2 
inhibition in a single molecule would provide complementary insulin-independent 
mechanisms to treat diabetes. Therefore, sotagliflozin (LX4211) has been 
developed as a dual inhibitor of SGLT1 and SGLT2. The differentiating clinical 
features of dual inhibitor of SGLT1 and SGLT2 include a large postprandial 
glucose reduction, elevation of glucagon-like peptide 1 and modest urinary 
glucose excretion. These features may have clinical implications for the use of 
sotagliflozin in the treatment of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.