Ertugliflozin Reference

Plain English

What it is

Ertugliflozin, sold under the brand name Steglatro, is an FDA-approved prescription pill for adults with type 2 diabetes, used together with diet and exercise to help control blood sugar. It belongs to a family of drugs called SGLT2 inhibitors, which make the kidneys flush extra sugar out in the urine.

What people use it for

It is prescribed for type 2 diabetes. It is the lesser-known member of its drug family, and treatment guidelines often favor its close relatives (empagliflozin or dapagliflozin) when the goal is protecting the heart or kidneys beyond just lowering blood sugar.

What the science shows

A large heart-outcomes study called VERTIS CV, in more than eight thousand people who had diabetes and heart disease, found it was no worse than a placebo for major heart problems but did not prove it was better. Its kidney and heart-failure-hospitalization results did not reach statistical significance, which sets it apart from others in its class that did show those benefits.

The catch

This is a prescription drug, not a supplement, and it carries the same class side effects as other SGLT2 inhibitors. The most common reported reaction was genital yeast infections in women. Because its big trial did not show the extra heart and kidney benefits seen with similar drugs, guidelines generally steer toward the alternatives.

Reference summary

VERTIS CV (Cannon 2020 NEJM, n=8,246 adults with T2D and established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease) reported non-inferiority versus placebo for the primary 3-component MACE composite but did not demonstrate superiority. The renal composite and heart-failure-hospitalization secondary endpoints did not reach statistical significance after hierarchical testing. This positions ertugliflozin differently from empagliflozin, dapagliflozin, and canagliflozin in class-comparative cardiovascular discussions.

Regulatory and posture

Categories

Metabolic

Aliases

Steglatro, SGLT2 inhibitor (small molecule, not a peptide)

Evidence posture

human - VERTIS CV demonstrated non-inferiority but not superiority for MACE - the only SGLT2 outcome trial that did not show superior CV outcomes versus placebo.

Regulatory status

FDA-approved as Steglatro (2017) for type 2 diabetes as an adjunct to diet and exercise. Fixed-dose combinations with sitagliptin (Steglujan) and metformin (Segluromet) are also approved.

Content review status

label verified