Ahmedabad-based Torrent Pharmaceuticals has entered into a strategic alliance with the Indian arm of Germany-headquartered Boehringer Ingelheim to co-market its anti-diabetic drug and its fixed dose combinations in India.

The company will co-market Cospiaq (Empagliflozin), Cospiaq Met (Empagliflozin+ Metformin) and Xilingio (Empagliflozin+ Linagliptin) in India. Empagliflozin, a sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor is a class of prescription medicines that are FDA-approved for use with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. 

Empagliflozin is also used to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and established cardiovascular disease. Further, empagliflozin is indicated to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalisation for adults who have greater chances of heart failure.

As per International Diabetes Federation, India has the second largest diabetes patient base in the world with an estimated 74.2 million adults (20-79 years age group) as of 2021. This is expected to increase to almost 125 million patients by 2045.