Prolonged Diabetic Ketoacidosis Associated With Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors: A Review of Postmarketing Cases

OBJECTIVE

To describe reported cases of prolonged or relapsed ketoacidosis (KA) in adults with type 2 diabetes receiving treatment with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors.

METHODS

We performed a search of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System and medical literature, to identify our case series and to characterize cases of prolonged KA, relapsed KA, or persistent ketonemia, persistent ketonuria and/or persistent glucosuria in adults receiving SGLT2 inhibitors.

RESULTS

The FDA identified 29 unique cases of prolonged or relapsed KA, as well as related terms persistent ketonemia, persistent ketonuria, and persistent glucosuria, in patients receiving SGLT2 inhibitors through July 26, 2022. The patients ranged in age from 26 to 85 years. Treatment duration of KA ranged from 3 to 20 days. There were 7 cases of relapsed KA when insulin was reduced or transitioned to subcutaneous route. Arterial pH value was 7.0 or below in 4 patients, and the median pH was 7.1. Associated factors for prolonged or relapsed KA included surgery, decreased caloric intake, and ketogenic/carbohydrate restricted diet. A total of 62% of the patients were taking 3 or more glycemic control medications including the SGLT2 inhibitor. All patients with sufficient follow-up information recovered.

CONCLUSION

Although KA is a well-known risk associated with SGLT2 inhibitors, this case series demonstrated the potential for prolonged or recurrent KA events with serious outcomes. These cases informed updates to FDA's prescribing information to inform prescribers of this risk.

Valsartan, Losartan and Irbesartan use in the USA, UK, Canada and Denmark after the nitrosamine recalls: a descriptive cohort study

OBJECTIVES

To examine valsartan, losartan and irbesartan usage and switching patterns in the USA, UK, Canada and Denmark before and after July 2018, when the first Angiotensin-Receptor-Blocker (ARB) (valsartan) was recalled.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

USA, Canadian administrative healthcare data, Danish National Prescription Registry and UK primary care electronic health records.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients aged 18 years and older between January 2014 and December 2020.

INTERVENTION

Valsartan, losartan and irbesartan.

MAIN OUTCOME

Monthly percentages of individual ARB episodes, new users and switches to another ARB, ACE inhibitors (ACEI) or calcium channel blockers containing products.

RESULTS

We identified 10.8, 3.2, 1.8 and 1.2 million ARB users in the USA, UK, Canada and Denmark, respectively. Overall proportions of valsartan, losartan and irbesartan use were 18.4%, 67.9% and 5.2% in the USA; 3.1%, 48.3% and 10.2% in the UK, 16.3%, 11.4% and 18.3% in Canada, 1%, 93.5% and 0.6% in Denmark. In July 2018, we observed an immediate steep decline in the proportion of valsartan use in the USA and Canada. A similar trend was observed in Denmark; however, the decline was only minimal. We observed no change in trends of ARB use in the UK. Accompanying the valsartan decline was an increase in switching to other ARBs in the USA, Canada and Denmark. There was a small increase in switching to ACEI relative to the valsartan-to-other-ARBs switch. We also observed increased switching from other affected ARBs, losartan and irbesartan, to other ARBs throughout 2019, in the USA and Canada, although the usage trends in the USA remained unchanged.

CONCLUSION

The first recall notice for valsartan resulted in substantial decline in usage due to increased switching to other ARBs. Subsequent notices for losartan and irbesartan were also associated with increased switching around the time of the recall, however, overall usage trends remained unchanged.

Acute Cholecystitis Associated With the Use of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists Reported to the US Food and Drug Administration

This case series identifies cases reported in the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System of acute cholecystitis associated with use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists that did not have gallbladder disease warnings in their labeling.

Arterial aneurysm and dissection with systemic vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors: A review of cases reported to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System and published in the literature

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved multiple systemic vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors since 2004 to treat various malignancies. Inhibition of the VEGF signaling pathway can result in impairment of vascular wall integrity through medial degeneration and endothelial dysfunction, potentially resulting in arterial (including aortic) aneurysm/dissection. We performed a postmarketing review to evaluate arterial aneurysm/dissection as a potential safety risk for patients with cancer treated with VEGF inhibitors. We searched the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database and literature for reports of arterial (including aortic) aneurysm/dissection with VEGF inhibitors currently approved by the FDA for a cancer indication. We identified 240 cases of arterial aneurysm/dissection associated with VEGF inhibitors. The median time to onset of an arterial aneurysm/dissection event from the initiation of a VEGF inhibitor was 94 days (range 1-1955 days). Notably, 22% (53/240) of cases reported fatal outcomes related to arterial aneurysm/dissection. We determined the drug-event association as probable in 15 cases that lacked relevant confounding factors for arterial aneurysm/dissection, which is supported by unremarkable computed tomography (CT) findings prior to starting VEGF inhibitor therapy, despite nondrug-associated background arterial aneurysm/dissection generally demonstrating preexisting arterial abnormalities. FAERS and literature case-level evidence suggests that VEGF inhibitors may have contributed to arterial aneurysm/dissection, as a class effect, based on short onset relative to natural history of disease and biologic plausibility. Cardiovascular and oncology healthcare professionals should be aware of this rare, but life-threatening safety risk associated with VEGF inhibitors.