Applying REWIND cardiovascular disease criteria to SUSTAIN 6 and PIONEER 6: An exploratory analysis of cardiovascular outcomes with semaglutide

A Methodological Framework for Meta-analysis and Clinical Interpretation of Subgroup Data: The Case of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events With GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and SGLT2 Inhibitors in Type 2 Diabetes

We present a methodological framework for conducting and interpreting subgroup meta-analyses. Methodological steps comprised evaluation of clinical heterogeneity regarding the definition of subpopulations, credibility assessment of subgroup meta-analysis, and translation of relative into absolute treatment effects. We used subgroup data from type 2 diabetes cardiovascular outcomes trials (CVOTs) with glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors for patients with established cardiovascular disease and those at high cardiovascular risk without manifest cardiovascular disease. First, we evaluated the variability in definitions of the subpopulations across CVOTs using major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) incidence in the placebo arm as a proxy for baseline cardiovascular risk. As baseline risk did not differ considerably across CVOTs, we conducted subgroup meta-analyses of hazard ratios (HRs) for MACE and assessed the credibility of a potential effect modification. Results suggested using the same overall relative effect for each of the two subpopulations (HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.80-0.90, for GLP-1 receptor agonists and HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.85-0.97, for SGLT2 inhibitors). Finally, we calculated 5-year absolute treatment effects (number of fewer patients with event per 1,000 patients). Treatment with GLP-1 receptor agonists resulted in 30 fewer patients with event in the subpopulation with established cardiovascular disease and 14 fewer patients with event in patients without manifest cardiovascular disease. For SGLT2 inhibitors, the respective absolute effects were 18 and 8 fewer patients with event per 1,000 patients. This framework can be applied to subgroup meta-analyses regardless of outcomes or modification variables.

Effect of Semaglutide on Subclinical Atherosclerosis and Cardiometabolic Compensation: A Real-World Study in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

BACKGROUND

Semaglutide is a recently approved glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist. Several trials reported the protective effect of injectable semaglutide on cardiovascular (CV) risk by reducing major adverse cardiovascular events in type 2 diabetes patients. Strong preclinical evidence supports the CV benefits of semaglutide through an effect on atherosclerosis. However, scant evidence is available about the protective mechanisms of semaglutide in clinical practice.

METHODS

A retrospective observational study was conducted among consecutive type 2 diabetes patients treated with injectable semaglutide in Italy between November 2019 and January 2021 when the drug was first available in the country. The primary aims were the assessment of the carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels. The secondary aims were the evaluation of anthropometric, glycemic, and hepatic parameters and plasma lipids, including the assessment of the triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein ratio as an indirect marker of atherogenic small, dense low-density lipoprotein particles.

RESULTS

Injectable semaglutide reduced HbA1c and cIMT. An improvement in CV risk factors and the triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein ratio was reported. Moreover, through correlation analyses, we found that hepatic fibrosis and steatosis indices and the anthropometric, hepatic, and glycemic parameters, as well as plasma lipids, were unrelated to the variations in cIMT and HbA1c.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest the effect of injectable semaglutide on atherosclerosis as a key CV protective mechanism. Considering the favorable effects on atherogenic lipoproteins and hepatic steatosis indices, our results support the pleiotropic effect of semaglutide beyond glycemic control.

Do Glucagonlike Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist and Sodium-glucose Co-transporter 2 Inhibitor Prescriptions in Germany Reflect Recommendations for Type 2 Diabetes with Cardiovascular Disease of the ADA/EASD Consensus Report?

OBJECTIVES

To analyze whether prescription use of GLP-1RA and SGLT2i in individuals with type 2 diabetes with cardiovascular disease (CVD) has increased after the ADA/EASD consensus guidelines (2018) in a German Real-World setting and which clinical characteristics are associated with prescription use of these drugs.

METHODS

The Disease Analyzer database (IQVIA) comprises a representative panel of 1,373 general practitioners, diabetologists, and cardiologists throughout Germany (01/2015-12/2020: 12.6 million patients). Newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (n=45,531) was identified by ICD-10 codes (E11). Matching (1:1) on practice specialty, sex, age, and year of diabetes diagnosis was performed for CVD. Logistic regression models were fitted to obtain adjusted odds ratios (OR) for characteristics associated with prescription use (median follow-up: 1.9 years).

RESULTS

Overall, 35% of patients (n=16,006) were treated with glucose-lowering drugs during the first year after type 2 diabetes diagnosis (HbA1c≥7.0%: 80%). GLP-1RA (2.4%) and SGLT2i (8.5%) were rarely prescribed. After the consensus, use of GLP-1RA and SGLT2i increased, however, almost independently of pre-existing CVD (12/2019-11/2020 vs. 12/2017-11/2018: yes, no): GLP-1RA: from 5.7 to 9.2%, 5.2 to 7.6%; SGLT2i: from 13.9 to 20.4%, 12.1 to 16.6%. Among cardiovascular risk factors, the largest OR for GLP-1RA was for obesity (4.5; 95%CI: 3.2-6.3). CVD was moderately related with SGLT2i (1.45; 1.32-1.60) and GLP-1RA (1.35; 1.08-1.69) prescriptions. A weak association was observed between SGLT2i and heart failure (1.18; 95%CI: 1.05-1.32).

CONCLUSION

National prescription use of GLP-1RA and SGLT2i did not come close to the recommendation in subjects with CVD issued by the 2018 ADA/EASD consensus.

Applying REWIND cardiovascular disease criteria to SUSTAIN 6 and PIONEER 6: An exploratory analysis of cardiovascular outcomes with semaglutide

In the REWIND trial, dulaglutide reduced cardiovascular (CV) risk versus placebo in patients with type 2 diabetes in both the "established CV disease" (CVD) and "CV risk factor" subgroups. The SUSTAIN 6 and PIONEER 6 trials of semaglutide used different criteria for established CVD from those used in REWIND. The present post hoc analysis assessed the effect of semaglutide on major adverse CV events (MACE) in a pooled population of SUSTAIN 6 and PIONEER 6 patients, re-categorized into CV risk subgroups using the REWIND CVD criteria. In the pooled analysis (n = 6480), a lower percentage of patients were in the established CVD subgroup, when using the REWIND CVD criteria, compared with the original trial CVD criteria (66.5% vs. 83.8%, respectively). After re-categorization, the risk of MACE was significantly lower with semaglutide versus placebo in the established CVD subgroup (hazard ratio [HR] 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59, 0.92) and nonsignificantly lower in the CV risk factor subgroup (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.55, 1.28) (P-interaction = 0.60). These results suggest that the CV effects of semaglutide may extend to patients with type 2 diabetes across the CV risk continuum.