Combining SGLT2 And GLP-1 Drugs Can Help Reduce Risks Of Heart Attack, Stroke Photo : iStockA new study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology shows that SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 drugs together can give better results and benefits than individually.
These include the risk of cardiovascular events (heart attack and stroke), hospitalisation for heart failure or death from cardiovascular disease.
They also considered the progression of chronic kidney disease which the team defined as a 40% or more decline in eGFR, kidney failure or death due to kidney functioning.
The study found that when compared to a placebo, an SGLT2 reduced the risk of heart attack and stroke by 11% and hospitalization for heart failure or cardiovascular death by 23%.
The effects on kidney disease progression were even better; an SGLT2 reduced risk by 33% compared to a placebo.
Combining SGLT2 And GLP-1 Drugs Can Help Reduce Risks Of Heart Attack, Stroke Photo : iStock
A new study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology shows that SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 drugs together can give better results and benefits than individually. SGLT2 inhibitors help to lower blood sugar levels by preventing the kidneys from reabsorbing glucose. GLP-1 drugs, on the other hand, are present in drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound are given for diabetes and obesity.
Speaking to Healthline, Brendon Neuen, PhD, a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia and co-author of the study said, “What we found was clear and additional benefits of SGLT2 inhibitors when used in combination with GLP-1 receptor agonists, benefits on cardiovascular disease, benefits on kidney disease progression, and also no increased risk of side effects or safety issues when used in combination.”
The researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 12 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. They included data from more than 70,000 patients with diabetes. A small cohort of those patients, about 3,000 (4.2%), were being prescribed a GLP-1. The researchers wanted to understand whether or not the cardiovascular and kidney protective effects of the SGLT2 inhibitors would persist across the available data, and how the addition of a GLP-1 would change those effects.
The study found that not only did the protective benefits of the SGLT2s stay with or without the presence of a GLP-1 but when the two medications were paired, they gave better results.
For the study, the researchers looked at several health issues that are known comorbidities of type 2 diabetes. These include the risk of cardiovascular events (heart attack and stroke), hospitalisation for heart failure or death from cardiovascular disease. They also considered the progression of chronic kidney disease which the team defined as a 40% or more decline in eGFR, kidney failure or death due to kidney functioning.
The study found that when compared to a placebo, an SGLT2 reduced the risk of heart attack and stroke by 11% and hospitalization for heart failure or cardiovascular death by 23%. The effects on kidney disease progression were even better; an SGLT2 reduced risk by 33% compared to a placebo.
A Healthline report says that for each outcome, the addition of a GLP-1 resulted in an additional small reduction in risk. For cardiovascular disease-related hospitalizations and kidney disease progression, a GLP-1 further reduced risk by about 2%. For major cardiovascular events, a GLP-1 nearly doubled the protective effects, reducing risk by an additional 10%.
Neuen said, “These data provide the strongest evidence that we have yet that using these two medications in combination is not only safe but highly effective and is likely to improve clinical outcomes for people with type 2 diabetes who have cardiovascular kidney disease.”
Neuen added, “These medications are now recommended in people with heart failure and kidney disease, even if they do not have diabetes, because they have clear and important, clinically important benefits in preventing kidney failure and heart failure outcomes.”
