Browsing: Therapeutics

Drug-class and individual-agent evidence: GLP-1 receptor agonists, SGLT2 inhibitors, and the major trials behind semaglutide, tirzepatide, and related therapies.

The REWIND trial demonstrated that dulaglutide reduces 3-point MACE in a broad type 2 diabetes population of which 69% had no established cardiovascular disease, with a significant 24% reduction in nonfatal stroke and consistent renal benefit, extending GLP-1 receptor agonist cardiovascular protection into a primary prevention context.

The LEADER trial demonstrated that liraglutide significantly reduced 3-point MACE and cardiovascular mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk, becoming the first GLP-1 receptor agonist CVOT to demonstrate superiority and characterising an atherosclerotic rather than heart failure protection profile distinct from SGLT2 inhibitors.

DAPA-CKD demonstrated that dapagliflozin reduced the composite of a sustained 50% or greater eGFR decline, end-stage kidney disease, or renal or cardiovascular death by 39% in patients with albuminuric CKD with or without type 2 diabetes, extending nephroprotective SGLT2 inhibition beyond diabetic nephropathy to a broad CKD population for the first time.

EMPEROR-Reduced confirmed that empagliflozin reduces cardiovascular death or hospitalisation for heart failure by 25% in patients with HFrEF irrespective of diabetes status, while also demonstrating a 50% reduction in a renal composite outcome and a markedly slower rate of eGFR decline, adding critical confirmatory evidence for SGLT2 inhibitors as standard-of-care in HFrEF.

The DAPA-HF trial demonstrated that dapagliflozin reduced the composite of worsening heart failure or cardiovascular death by 26% in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, with consistent benefit observed in both those with and without type 2 diabetes, establishing SGLT2 inhibition as a core therapy for HFrEF independent of glycaemic status.

The CREDENCE trial demonstrated that canagliflozin reduced the composite of end-stage kidney disease, doubling of serum creatinine, or renal or cardiovascular death by 30% in patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease, becoming the first dedicated renal outcomes trial to demonstrate that an SGLT2 inhibitor could substantially slow the progression of diabetic nephropathy.

The DECLARE-TIMI 58 trial demonstrated that dapagliflozin did not reduce 3-point MACE compared with placebo but significantly reduced the composite of cardiovascular death or hospitalisation for heart failure, driven entirely by a 27% reduction in heart failure hospitalisation, in the largest and most broadly representative SGLT2 inhibitor cardiovascular outcomes trial conducted to date.