Effects of GLP-1RAs on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: review of real-world data on target populations from diabetes registry in Russian Federation
Authors: Vikulova O. K. , Galstyan G. R. , Shestakova M. V. 
Published: March 2022

RATIONALE. Over the past 20 years the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Russia has more than doubled and reached 4.43 million people in 2020, while the growth rate keeps increasing. Most patients with T2DM are at a higher risk of developing major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) associated with significant mortality. There is a strong evidence base that the drugs belonging to GLP-1RA class contribute to reducing the risk of cardiovascular events and renal outcomes. At the same time, the current prescribing rates of these treatments in Russia are quite low - only about 0.1% of patients are prescribed GLP-1RAs, according to Diabetes Registry data.

AIM. Review the results of several randomized clinical trials (RCTs) concerning effects of GLP-1RA treatments on prevention of primary and secondary cardiovascular events and estimate the number of diabetic target population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. We examined the data from clinical trials on GLP-1RA treatments registered in Russia and used in routine clinical practice (ELIXA, EXSCEL, LEADER, SUSTAIN-6 and REWIND) and data from two meta-analyzes published as of December 1, 2020. The task was to evaluate the inclusion criteria, patient profile, and the clinical efficacy and safety profiles of  the studied therapies. Also, the analysis of clinical information from the Diabetes Registry (DR) was performed to estimate the number of target T2DM patients meeting RCTs inclusion criteria that could benefit from prescribing of GLP-1RAs.

RESULTS. The reviewed clinical trials demonstrated a statistically significant reduction (p <0.05) in the risk of serious cardiovascular events in patients treated with Liraglutide [RR 0.87 (95% CI, 0.78-0.97)], Semagltuide [OP 0.74 (95% CI 0.58-0.95)] and Dulaglutide [RR 0.88 (95% CI 0.79-0.99)]. Meta-analyzes utilizing data from 6 RCTs with the total number of 56,004 T2DM patients, also, confirmed a statistically significant reduction in the risk of developing MACE (by 12%) in the studied population, and a 17% reduction in the risk of combined renal outcomes [RR 0.83 (95% CI 0.78-0.89), p <0.0001]. The DR patient population that met the RCTs inclusion criteria amounted to 538.6 thous. subjects in case of REWIND and 432.4 thous. in case of LEADER and SUSTAIN-6. The key differences between FDR patients and patients engaged in RCTs included gender and age characteristics. The DR patients were generally older and the bulk of them were women, which has to do with overall Russian demographic trends. The proportion of DR patients with established CVD was 26%, which closely matched the profile of patients from REWIND study (31.5%). According to DR data, the number of patients in whom the treatment was intensified following prescription of basal insulin was 7612 per year, which is close to a potential cohort eligible for alternative treatment with GLP-1RAs.

CONCLUSION. All the drugs belonging to GLP-1RA class are clinically effective in reducing the risk of cardiovascular and renal outcomes, while demonstrating a favorable safety profile including with respect to lower risk of developing hypoglycemia. The decreased risk of complications was recorded both in patients with existing cardiovascular risks and patients with established CVD. Of all GLP-1RA treatments available in Russia at this point, the greatest clinical effectiveness is achieved by Liraglutide, Semaglutide and Dulaglutide. The estimated patient population from DR, meeting RCTs inclusion criteria and matching RCTs patient profile was over 500, 000 people with the largest number of patients meeting the REWIND criteria. The target population of patients with T2DM who may potentially benefit from the administration of GLP-1RAs is over 500, 000 people. Out of that number at least 7.5 thousand are patients, whose treatment is intensified following prescription of basal insulin (with an aim of improving glycemic control, but without consideration of cardiovascular risks).

Currently, if we take the real world clinical setting in Russia, the number of patients receiving GLP-1RA treatments is substantially lower than the estimated figures (less than 1%), which requires reconsideration of the approach toward their prescribing as is recommended by state-of-the-art clinical guidelines prioritizing prevention of cardiovascular risks.