Cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors: An extensive meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Aims: Meta-analyses of randomized trials on Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4i) reported discordant results on major cardiovascular events (MACE), mortality, and heart failure. Aim of this meta-analysis of randomized trials is the assessment of the cardiovascular safety of DPP4i. Data synthesis: A Medline, Embase, Cochrane database search for sitagliptin, vildagliptin, omar-igliptin, saxagliptin, alogliptin, trelagliptin, anagliptin, linagliptin, gemigliptin, evogliptin, and te-neligliptin was performed up to up January 1st, 2020. All trials with a duration >24 weeks and comparing the effects of DPP4i with placebo or active drugs were collected. Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio (MH-OR) with 95% Confidence Interval (95% CI) was calculated for all outcomes defined above. A total of 182 eligible trials were identified. DPP-4i were not associated with an increased risk of MACE (MH-OR 0.99 [0.93, 1.04]), all-cause mortality (MH-OR 0.99 [0.93, 1.06]), and heart failure (MH-OR 1.05 [0.96, 1.15]) with no significant differences across individual molecules, except for saxagliptin, which was associated with an increased risk of heart failure. Conclusions: As a class, DPP4i are not associated with any increase or reduction of MACE, all -cause mortality, and heart failure. Saxagliptin seems to be associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for heart failure. (c) 2021 The Italian Diabetes Society, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

As a class, DPP4 inhibitors are not associated with an increase or reduction in major cardiovascular events, mortality, and heart failure, except for saxagliptin which might be linked to increased risk of heart failure.