A new drug being tested for treating type 2 diabetes, called empagliflozin, has shown it can also help lower blood pressure in people who have both diabetes and hypertension.
These findings were presented at a major medical conference in Chicago in 2014.
In the study, researchers gave the drug to people with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
After 12 weeks of treatment, not only did their blood sugar levels improve, but their blood pressure also went down.
Dr. Afshin Salsali, one of the researchers, said keeping blood pressure under control is very important for people with diabetes, as it lowers the risk of death and other serious health problems.
He believes this drug could reduce the risk of heart-related problems in the long term, although more studies are needed to confirm this.
The researchers tested two different doses of empagliflozin—10 mg and 25 mg—against a placebo (a pill with no active medicine).
There were 824 participants in total. Each person had their blood pressure monitored for 24 hours before and after the 12-week treatment. Blood samples were also taken to check their HbA1c, which shows how well blood sugar has been controlled over time.
The results showed that the 25 mg dose had the strongest effect. On average, it lowered systolic blood pressure (the top number) by 4.2 mm Hg and diastolic pressure (the bottom number) by 1.7 mm Hg compared to the placebo.
The 10 mg dose also lowered blood pressure, but the effects were slightly less (3.4 mm Hg and 1.4 mm Hg).
Blood sugar levels also improved. People taking 10 mg of empagliflozin had their HbA1c drop by 0.62%, while those on 25 mg had a 0.65% drop. The placebo group didn’t show these improvements.
Empagliflozin helps lower blood sugar by stopping the kidneys from reabsorbing glucose. Instead, the glucose is flushed out through urine. The study also found that the drug was safe and well-tolerated.
People who took the drug didn’t experience more side effects than those who took the placebo. Most of the side effects in all groups were mild.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about This alcohol treatment could help treat high blood pressure and How blood pressure changes with age.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about Intensive blood pressure treatment for older adults may harm heart and kidneys and What you should know about high blood pressure medications.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
