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Comparative Effectiveness of Individual Sodium Glucose Transporter 2 Inhibitors on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes With Moderate Cardiovascular Risk: Emulation of a Target Trial

Zehra A, Deng Y, Swarna KS, Herrin J, Polley EC, Neumiller JJ, Galindo RJ, Umpierrez GE et al.

Journal of the American Heart Association, 2026

7,648 participants

Abstract

Background: 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.

Methods: 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.

Results: 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…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 7,648 participants or records.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

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