Comparative effectiveness of Empagliflozin in reducing the burden of recurrent cardiovascular hospitalizations among older adults with diabetes in routine clinical care

Comparative safety and cardiovascular effectiveness of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in nursing homes

AIM

Studies examining the safety and effectiveness of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) versus glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) among community-dwelling adults may not generalize to nursing home (NH) residents, who are typically older and more multimorbid. We compared the safety and cardiovascular effectiveness of SGLT2is and GLP-1RAs among US NH residents.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Eligible individuals were aged ≥66 years with type 2 diabetes mellitus and initiated an SGLT2i or GLP-1RA in an NH between 2013 and 2018. Safety outcomes included fall-related injuries, hypoglycaemia, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), urinary tract infection or genital infection, and acute kidney injury in the year following treatment initiation. Cardiovascular effectiveness outcomes included death, major adverse cardiovascular events and hospitalization for heart failure. Per-protocol adjusted hazard ratios (HR) were calculated using stabilized inverse probability of treatment and censoring weighted cause-specific hazard regression models accounting for 127 covariates.

RESULTS

The study population included 7710 residents (31.08% SGLT2i, 68.92% GLP-1RA). Compared with GLP-1RA initiators, SGLT2i initiators had higher rates of DKA (HR 1.95, 95% confidence limits 1.27, 2.99) and death (HR 1.18, 95% confidence limits 1.02, 1.36). Rates of urinary tract infection or genital infection, acute kidney injury, major adverse cardiovascular events, and heart failure were also elevated, while rates of fall-related injuries and hypoglycaemia were reduced, but all estimates were imprecise and highly compatible with no difference.

CONCLUSIONS

SGLT2is do not have superior, and may have inferior, effectiveness compared with GLP-1RAs for cardiovascular and mortality outcomes in NH residents. Residents initiating SGLT2is should be monitored closely for DKA.

Effectiveness and safety of empagliflozin: final results from the EMPRISE study

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

Limited evidence exists on the comparative safety and effectiveness of empagliflozin against alternative glucose-lowering medications in individuals with type 2 diabetes with the broad spectrum of cardiovascular risk. The EMPagliflozin compaRative effectIveness and SafEty (EMPRISE) cohort study was designed to monitor the safety and effectiveness of empagliflozin periodically for a period of 5 years with data collection from electronic healthcare databases.

METHODS

We identified individuals ≥18 years old with type 2 diabetes who initiated empagliflozin or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) from 2014 to 2019 using US Medicare and commercial claims databases. After 1:1 propensity score matching using 143 baseline characteristics, we identified four a priori-defined effectiveness outcomes: (1) myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke; (2) hospitalisation for heart failure (HHF); (3) major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE); and (4) cardiovascular mortality or HHF. Safety outcomes included lower-limb amputations, non-vertebral fractures, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), acute kidney injury (AKI), severe hypoglycaemia, retinopathy progression, and short-term kidney and bladder cancers. We estimated HRs and rate differences (RDs) per 1000 person-years, overall and stratified by age, sex, baseline atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and heart failure.

RESULTS

We identified 115,116 matched pairs. Compared with DPP-4i, empagliflozin was associated with lower risks of MI/stroke (HR 0.88 [95% CI 0.81, 0.96]; RD -2.08 [95% CI (-3.26, -0.90]), HHF (HR 0.50 [0.44, 0.56]; RD -5.35 [-6.22, -4.49]), MACE (HR 0.73 [0.62, 0.86]; RD -6.37 [-8.98, -3.77]) and cardiovascular mortality/HHF (HR 0.57 [0.47, 0.69]; RD -10.36 [-12.63, -8.12]). Absolute benefits were larger in older individuals and in those with ASCVD/heart failure. Empagliflozin was associated with an increased risk of DKA (HR 1.78 [1.44, 2.19]; RD 1.59 [1.08, 2.09]); decreased risks of AKI (HR 0.62 [0.54, 0.72]; RD -2.39 [-3.08, -1.71]), hypoglycaemia (HR 0.75 [0.67, 0.84]; RD -2.46 [-3.32, -1.60]) and retinopathy progression (HR 0.78 [0.63, 0.96)]; RD -9.49 [-16.97, -2.10]); and similar risks of other safety events.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

Empagliflozin relative to DPP-4i was associated with risk reductions of MI or stroke, HHF, MACE and the composite of cardiovascular mortality or HHF. Absolute risk reductions were larger in older individuals and in those who had history of ASCVD or heart failure. Regarding the safety outcomes, empagliflozin was associated with an increased risk of DKA and lower risks of AKI, hypoglycaemia and progression to proliferative retinopathy, with no difference in the short-term risks of lower-extremity amputation, non-vertebral fractures, kidney and renal pelvis cancer, and bladder cancer.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2) in frail or older people with type 2 diabetes and heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2Is) reduce cardio-metabolic and renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) but their efficacy and safety in older or frail individuals remains unclear.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRA and Google Scholar and selected randomised controlled trials and observational studies comparing SGLT2Is versus placebo/other glucose-lowering agent for people with frailty or older individuals (>65 years) with T2D and heart failure (HF). Extracted data on the change in HbA1c % and safety outcomes were pooled in a random-effects meta-analysis model.

RESULTS

We included data from 20 studies (22 reports; N = 77,083 patients). SGLT2Is did not significantly reduce HbA1c level (mean difference -0.13, 95%CI: -0.41 to 0.14). SGLT2Is were associated with a significant reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality (risk ratio (RR) 0.81, 95%CI: -0.69 to 0.95), cardiac death (RR 0.80, 95%CI: -0.94 to 0.69) and hospitalisation for heart failure (HHF) (RR 0.69, 95%CI: 0.59-0.81). However, SGLT2Is did not demonstrate significant effect in reducing in the risk of macrovascular events (acute coronary syndrome or cerebral vascular occlusion), renal progression/composite renal endpoint, acute kidney injury, worsening HF, atrial fibrillation or diabetic ketoacidosis.

CONCLUSIONS

In older or frail patients with T2D and HF, SGLT2Is are consistently linked with a decrease in total mortality and the overall burden of cardiovascular (CV) events, including HHF events and cardiac death, but not protective for macrovascular death or renal events. Adverse events were more difficult to quantify but the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis or acute kidney injury was not significantly increase.

Initiation of SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists according to level of frailty in people with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in Denmark: a cross-sectional, nationwide study

BACKGROUND

Whether frailty influences the initiation of two cardioprotective diabetes drug therapies (ie, SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists) in people with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease is unknown. We aimed to assess rates of initiation of SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists according to frailty in people with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

METHODS

For this cross-sectional, nationwide study, all people with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in Denmark between Jan 1, 2015, and Dec 31, 2021, from six Danish health-data registers were identified. People younger than 40 years, with end-stage renal disease, with registered contraindications to SGLT2 inhibitors or GLP-1 receptor agonists, or with previous use of either drug therapy were excluded. The Hospital Frailty Risk Score was used to categorise people as either non-frail, moderately frail, or severely frail. Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyse the association between frailty and initiation of an SGLT2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist.

FINDINGS

Of 119 390 people with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, 103 790 were included. Median follow-up time was 4·5 years (IQR 2·7-6·1) and median age across the three frailty groups was 71 years (64-79). 65 959 (63·6%) of 103 790 people were male and 37 831 (36·5%) were female. At index date, 66 910 (64·5%) people were non-frail, 29 250 (28·2%) were moderately frail, and 7630 (7·4%) were severely frail. Frailty was associated with a significantly lower probability of initiating therapy with an SGLT2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist than in people who were non-frail (moderately frail hazard ratio 0·91, 95% CI 0·88-0·94, p<0·0001; severely frail 0·75, 0·70-0·80, p<0·0001). This association persisted after adjustment for age, sex, socioeconomic status, year of inclusion, duration of type 2 diabetes, duration of cardiovascular disease, polypharmacy, and comorbidity.

INTERPRETATION

In people with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in Denmark, frailty was associated with a significantly lower probability of SGLT2-inhibitor or GLP-1 receptor-agonist initiation, despite their benefits. Formulating clear and updated guidelines on the use of SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists in people who are frail with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease should be a priority.

FUNDING

Department of Cardiology, Herlev and Gentofte University Hospital.

TRANSLATION

For the Danish translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors vs. sitagliptin in heart failure and type 2 diabetes: an observational cohort study

AIMS

The effectiveness of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) in patients with heart failure (HF) in routine clinical practice is not extensively studied. This study aimed to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of SGLT2i vs. sitagliptin in older adults with HF and type 2 diabetes and to investigate whether there were any differences between agents within the SGLT2i class or for reduced and preserved ejection fraction.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Using Medicare claims data (April 2013 to December 2019), 16 253 SGLT2i initiators vs. 43 352 initiators of sitagliptin aged ≥65 years with type 2 diabetes and HF were included. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality, hospitalization for HF or urgent visit requiring intravenous diuretics; secondary outcomes included its individual components. Propensity score fine stratification weighted Cox regression was used to adjust for 100 pre-exposure characteristics. Mean age was 74 years; 49.8% were women. Initiation of SGLT2i vs. sitagliptin was associated with a lower risk of the primary composite outcome [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.72; 95% confidence interval 0.67-0.77]. The adjusted HRs were 0.70 (0.63-0.78) for all-cause mortality, 0.64 (0.58-0.70) for hospitalization for HF, and 0.77 (0.69-0.86) for urgent visit requiring intravenous diuretics. Similar associations with the primary composite outcome were observed for all three agents within the SGLT2i class, for reduced and preserved ejection fraction, and subgroups based on demographics, comorbidities, and other HF treatments. Bias-calibrated HRs for the primary endpoint using negative and positive control outcomes ranged between 0.81 and 0.89, suggesting that the observed benefit could not be fully explained by residual confounding.

CONCLUSION

In routine US clinical practice, SGLT2i demonstrated robust clinical effectiveness in older adults with HF and type 2 diabetes compared with sitagliptin, with no evidence of heterogeneity across the SGLT2i class or across ejection fraction.

Efficacy and safety profile of SGLT2 inhibitors in the elderly: How is the benefit/risk balance?

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a highly prevalent health condition in the aging population. Older adults with T2DM have higher risks of cardiovascular disease, heart failure (long underestimated) and premature death than those without diabetes. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) have proven their ability to improve cardiovascular prognosis and reduce the risk of hospitalization for heart failure (hHF). However, several adverse events have been reported, whose incidence and severity might be increased in the elderly population. The aims of this comprehensive review were to analyze the benefit-risk ratio of SGLT2i therapy in older patients with T2DM by collecting data from (i) large prospective placebo-controlled cardiovascular outcome trials (including those dedicated to heart failure), using both original publications and dedicated post-hoc analyses across different age groups and (ii) observational cohort studies, describing the effects of SGLT2is versus other glucose-lowering agents on cardiovascular outcomes and hHF in elderly patients or these effects in different age groups. Overall, consistent results showed a similar relative risk reduction in cardiovascular mortality and hHF with SGLT2is independently of age. The absolute risk reduction may be greater in elderly because of a higher background risk in older versus younger patients. Similarly, the safety profile of SGLT2is appeared comparable in older versus younger patients. In conclusion, the benefit/risk balance favors the use of SGLT2is in older patients at risk of cardiovascular disease and/or heart failure. Caution may be required in very old frail patients, especially those exposed to an increased risk of volume depletion.