Patients with type-2 diabetes and active COPD may have a treatment option that kills two birds with one stone.
According to a new study published in JAMA, researchers found that sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2Is) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) were associated with a reduced risk of moderate or severe COPD exacerbations compared with dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP-4Is) in adults with type 2 diabetes and active COPD.
The study authors wrote that their comparative effectiveness research study looked at more than 393,000 patients with type 2 diabetes and active COPD over three different studies using U.S. insurance claims databases. They found that the risk of moderate or severe COPD exacerbation was lower among those treated with SGLT-2Is and GLP-1RAs, at 2.2 and 1.6 fewer events per 100 person-years, respectively.
“Our results indicate a 19% lower risk of moderate or severe COPD exacerbation and a 29% reduction in severe exacerbations with SGLT-2Is compared with DPP-4Is, which was consistent with U.K. primary care data, showing a reduced risk of severe COPD exacerbations for patients with type 2 diabetes and COPD who were using SGLT-2Is,” the authors wrote.
Although the findings could point the way toward increased prescriptions for SGLT-2Is and GLP-1RAs in those patient groups, “given the observational nature of the study, there is potential for residual or unmeasured confounding, and findings from similar clinical studies and clinical trials will help corroborate these results.”
