FDA-approved heart medication may be a ‘wonder drug’—protects against diabetes, blood clots and more
Sotagliflozin has been linked to key cardiovascular benefits for a wide range of patients. In fact, the team behind new research published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation believe it may be a “wonder drug” of sorts with untapped potential.[1]
Sotagliflozin is a dual SGLT1 and SGLT2 inhibitor sold by Lexicon Pharmaceuticals under the brand name Inpefa. It first secured U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2023 to reduce the risk of heart failure among high-risk patients, including those with type 2 diabetes.
Multiple studies have linked this drug to a reduced risk of adverse cardiovascular events, including one from 2025 that found it may protect patients from heart attack and stroke. To learn more, a group of researchers with the University of Michigan performed a series of experiments focused on learning how, exactly, sotagliflozin achieves these results.
“A drug that can both decrease the risk for diabetes along with the risk for having a heart attack or stroke could be a turning point in our ability to safely treat this growing population in the US and abroad,” co-senior author Michael A. Holinstat, PhD, MS, a professor of pharmacology, internal medicine and surgery at University of Michigan Medical School, said in a statement.
“Sotagliflozin appears to be in the sweet spot because compounds that have higher levels of SGLT1-selective inhibitors can cause gastrointestinal issues,” added co-author Bertram Pitt, MD, professor emeritus of internal medicine at University of Michigan Medical School. “We think this could be a wonder drug with potential to offer benefit for many conditions.”
Holinstat, Pitt and the rest of the group compared sotagliflozin to empagliflozin (Jardiance). Among other differences, they found that sotagliflozin protected mice from blood clots in a way that empagliflozin could not. In addition, they found that sotagliflozin was able to limit platelet activation in patients with and without type 2 diabetes compared to empagliflozin.
The exact mechanisms that make sotagliflozin so unique are still not quite clear, but these findings suggest the drug is doing more than SGLT1 inhibition. The group plans on continuing its research going forward. For example, there is a possibility that this drug may offer benefits for patients with chronic kidney disease and/or atrial fibrillation.
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Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.