A new class of type 2 diabetes drug appears to reduce the risk of heart failure, death and major cardiovascular events, Scandinavian researchers have found. The results apply to patients with or without a cardiovascular disease diagnosis.
According to 21,000 patient registry records, those who took SGLT2 inhibitors, when compared with patients using DPP4-inhibitors, showed a 34% lower risk of heart failure and 20% lower risk of death. The results are applicable primarily to dapagliflozin, the drug in this class most commonly used in Scandinavia during the research period.
“Our study suggests that there is cardiovascular benefit from SGLT2 inhibitors for a broader patient group in routine clinical care,” said lead researcher Björn Pasternak, M.D., Ph.D., Karolinska Institutet. “This is an important result that we believe may be of interest to patients as well as drug authorities and doctors.”
The study was published in the BMJ.
