AstraZeneca’s diabetes drug reduces the risk of heart failure

AstraZeneca has reported results of the first large real-world evidence study of its kind evaluating the risk of hospitalisation for heart failure and death from any cause in patients with type-2 diabetes (T2D) receiving treatment with a newer class of diabetes medicines, SGLT-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i).

The CVD-REAL study assessed data from more than 300,000 patients across six countries, 87% of whom did not have a history of cardiovascular disease. The data showed that across this broad population of patients with T2D, treatment with SGLT-2i medicines – Farxiga (dapagliflozin), canagliflozin, empagliflozin – reduced the rate of hospitalisation for heart failure by 39% (p<0.001) and death from any cause by 51% (p<0.001), compared to other T2D medicines. For the composite endpoint of hospitalisation for heart failure and death from any cause, the reduction was 46% (p<0.001), said the company.

The company noted that people with T2D have a 2-3 times greater risk of heart failure and are at an increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke, and some 50% of deaths in people with T2D are caused by cardiovascular disease.

Bruce Cooper, MD, Vice President and Head of Global Medical Affairs at AstraZeneca, said: “Diabetes is a growing epidemic worldwide, which is associated with significant comorbidities that contribute to an increased risk of costly hospitalisations and even death. Real-world data from this study provide striking evidence that the newer SGLT-2i class of medicines cuts the rate of hospitalisations for heart failure and death by approximately half. CVD-REAL is the first study to observe these effects of SGLT-2i treatment in a much broader and lower risk group of type-2 diabetes patients than previously evaluated in clinical trials.”