Outcomes of SGLT-2i and GLP-1RA Therapy Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Varying NAFLD Status.

Importance: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a cardiovascular risk factor, but whether sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) are associated with reduced cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and concomitant NAFLD remains uncertain. Objective: To investigate the outcomes of SGLT-2i and GLP-1RA therapy among patients with T2D varied by the presence or absence of NAFLD. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective, population-based, nationwide cohort study used an active-comparator new-user design. Two distinct new-user active-comparator cohorts of patients aged 40 years and older who initiated SGLT-2i or GLP-1RA were propensity score matched to patients who initiated dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i). The study was conducted in South Korea from January 2013 to December 2020, and data analysis was conducted from October 2022 to March 2023. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcomes were (1) major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), a composite end point of hospitalization for myocardial infarction, hospitalization for stroke, and cardiovascular death, and (2) hospitalization for heart failure (HHF). Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs). The Wald test was applied to assess heterogeneity by NAFLD. Results: After 1:1 propensity score matching, 140 438 patients were retrieved in the first cohort (SGLT-2i vs DPP-4i; mean [SD] age, 57.5 [10.3] years; 79 633 [56.7%] male) and 34 886 patients were identified in the second cohort (GLP-1RA vs DPP-4i; mean [SD] age, 59.5 [10.5] years; 17 894 [51.3%] male). Compared with DPP-4i, SGLT-2i therapy was associated with a lower risk of MACE (HR, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.71-0.85]) and HHF (HR, 0.62 [95% CI, 0.48-0.81]). GLP-1RA therapy was associated with a decreased risk of MACE (HR, 0.49 [95% CI, 0.39-0.62]) but had statistically nonsignificant findings regarding HHF (HR, 0.64 [95% CI, 0.39-1.07]). Stratified analysis by NAFLD status yielded consistent results for SGLT-2i (MACE with NAFLD: HR, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.62-0.86]; without NAFLD: HR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.72-0.91]; HHF with NAFLD: HR, 0.76 [95% CI, 0.49-1.17]; without NAFLD: HR, 0.56 [95% CI, 0.40-0.78]) and for GLP-1RA (MACE with NAFLD: HR, 0.49 [95% CI, 0.32-0.77]; without NAFLD: HR, 0.49 [95% CI, 0.37-0.65]; HHF with NAFLD: HR, 0.82 [95% CI, 0.38-1.76]; without NAFLD: HR, 0.54 [95% CI, 0.27-1.06]). Conclusions and Relevance: In this population-based cohort study, SGLT-2i therapy was associated with a decreased risk of MACE and HHF, while GLP-1RA therapy was associated with a decreased risk of MACE among patients with T2D, irrespective of baseline NAFLD status.

Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and risk of major adverse cardiovascular events: multi-database retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the risk of cardiovascular events between sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors among people with type 2 diabetes in a real world context of clinical practice. DESIGN: Multi-database retrospective cohort study using a prevalent new user design with subsequent meta-analysis. SETTING: Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effect Studies (CNODES), with administrative healthcare databases from seven Canadian provinces and the United Kingdom, 2013-18. POPULATION: 209 867 new users of a SGLT2 inhibitor matched to 209 867 users of a DPP-4 inhibitor on time conditional propensity score and followed for a mean of 0.9 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE, a composite of myocardial infarction, ischaemic stroke, or cardiovascular death). Secondary outcomes were the individual components of MACE, heart failure, and all cause mortality. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate site specific adjusted hazards ratios and 95% confidence intervals, comparing use of SGLT2 inhibitors with use of DPP-4 inhibitors in an as treated approach. Site specific results were pooled using random effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: Compared with DPP-4 inhibitors, SGLT2 inhibitors were associated with decreased risks of MACE (incidence rate per 1000 person years: 11.4 v 16.5; hazard ratio 0.76, 95% confidence interval 0.69 to 0.84), myocardial infarction (5.1 v 6.4; 0.82, 0.70 to 0.96), cardiovascular death (3.9 v 7.7; 0.60, 0.54 to 0.67), heart failure (3.1 v 7.7; 0.43, 0.37 to 0.51), and all cause mortality (8.7 v 17.3; 0.60, 0.54 to 0.67). SGLT2 inhibitors had more modest benefits for ischaemic stroke (2.6 v 3.5; 0.85, 0.72 to 1.01). Similar benefits for MACE were observed with canagliflozin (0.79, 0.66 to 0.94), dapagliflozin (0.73, 0.63 to 0.85), and empagliflozin (0.77, 0.68 to 0.87). CONCLUSIONS: In this large observational study conducted in a real world clinical practice context, the short term use of SGLT2 inhibitors was associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular events compared with the use of DPP-4 inhibitors. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03939624.

Incretin based drugs and risk of cholangiocarcinoma among patients with type 2 diabetes: population based cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether use of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are associated with an increased risk of cholangiocarcinoma in adults with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN: Population based cohort study. SETTING: General practices contributing data to the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink. PARTICIPANTS: 154 162 adults newly treated with antidiabetic drugs between 1 January 2007 and 31 March 2017, followed until 31 March 2018. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Use of DPP-4 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists was modelled as a time varying variable and compared with use of other second or third line antidiabetic drugs. All exposures were lagged by one year to account for cancer latency and to minimise reverse causality. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals of incident cholangiocarcinoma associated with use of DPP-4 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists, separately. A post hoc pharmacovigilance analysis was conducted using the World Health Organization's global individual case safety report database, VigiBase, to estimate reporting odds ratios of cholangiocarcinoma. RESULTS: During 614 274 person years of follow-up, 105 incident cholangiocarcinoma events occurred (rate 17.1 per 100 000 person years). Use of DPP-4 inhibitors was associated with a 77% increased hazard of cholangiocarcinoma (hazard ratio 1.77, 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 3.01). Use of GLP-1 receptor agonists was associated with an increased hazard with a wide confidence interval (hazard ratio 1.97, 0.83 to 4.66). In the pharmacovigilance analysis, the use of DPP-4 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists were both associated with increased reporting odds ratios for cholangiocarcinoma, compared with use of sulfonylureas or thiazolidinediones (1.63, 1.00 to 2.66, 4.73, 2.95 to 7.58, respectively). CONCLUSION: Compared with use of other second or third line antidiabetic drugs, use of DPP-4 inhibitors, and possibly GLP-1 receptor agonists, might be associated with an increased risk of cholangiocarcinoma in adults with type 2 diabetes.