Target trial emulation on US claims data (commercial + Medicare) of adults with type 2 diabetes and moderate cardiovascular risk who started canagliflozin (n=42,877), dapagliflozin (n=17,871), or empagliflozin (n=7,648) between 2015 and 2020. In the weighted cohort (n=137,232; mean age 65.7 years, 81.9% on metformin), MACE risk was slightly lower with empagliflozin versus canagliflozin (HR 0.92; 95% CI 0.87-0.97), driven by reduced all-cause mortality (HR 0.86). Empagliflozin versus dapagliflozin and dapagliflozin versus canagliflozin did not differ. No differences in hyperglycaemic or hypoglycaemic crises between the three drugs. The three most commonly used SGLT2 inhibitors show comparable cardiovascular effectiveness; clinicians and health systems should prioritise enhancing access to this class rather than drug selection.
SGLT2 (sodium-glucose cotransporter 2) inhibitors reduce major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in type 2 diabetes. However, no direct comparison of individual SGLT2 inhibitor drugs has been conducted, particularly among adults with moderate cardiovascular risk who comprise most people with type 2 diabetes.
We used data for commercial, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries to emulate a target trial of adults (≥21 years) with type 2 diabetes and moderate cardiovascular risk who started canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, or empagliflozin between 2015 and 2020. We estimated propensity scores using the super learner ensemble method and incorporated them as inverse probability of treatment weights into Cox models, estimating risk of MACE, expanded MACE, and hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic crises through December 31, 2022.
The weighted cohort, balanced on all baseline covariates, included 137 232 patients (mean age 65.7 years [SD, 8.1], 75.3% non-Hispanic White, 57.0% male, 81.9% on metformin, 11.4% on glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) starting canagliflozin (N=42 877), dapagliflozin (N=17 871), or empagliflozin (N=7648). The risk of MACE was lower among patients starting empagliflozin versus canagliflozin (hazard ratio [HR], 0.92 [95% CI, 0.87-0.97]), driven by reduced risk of all-cause mortality (HR, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.80-0.94]). There was no difference in MACE between empagliflozin versus dapagliflozin or dapagliflozin versus canagliflozin therapy. There was no difference in remaining outcomes between the three drugs.
The 3 most used SGLT2 inhibitor medications demonstrate similar effectiveness on cardiovascular outcomes among patients with type 2 diabetes at moderate cardiovascular risk, with differences between these drugs small in magnitude. Clinicians and health systems should prioritize enhancing access to these cardioprotective therapies.
