The new pill is canagliflozin and it's product name is Invokana. The pill has been launched in the UK and NICE are currently reviewing it. It stands a decent chance of being approved as Forxiga (dapagliflozin), a drug that acts in a very similar way, has already been approved for use on the NHS.
These drugs can help lower blood sugar and some patients have reported rapid weight loss.
The negative points are that it raises risk of urinary tract infections and thrush. The long term safety of the drug in humans really can't be spoken for yet as these are very new medications and the drug is currently being reviewed for kidney safety.
Previous trial data has shown that canagliflozin reduced kidney function (eGFR) in patients taking the drug compared with a placebo.
Comparison of percentage change in renal function (i.e., eGFR) from baseline between treatment groups showed a higher proportion of patients with decrease in eGFR and a larger magnitude of decline in eGFR in patients receiving canagliflozin compared to placebo, in both eGFR<40 and >=40 mL/min/1.73m2 groups.
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/nda/2013/204042Orig1s000ClinPharmR.pdf
My advice to anyone on these treatments (canagliflozin or dapaglifozin) would be to have your kidney function checked regularly. I'd want to have my kidney function checked at least every 6 months to monitor whether kidney function is significantly declining or not.
