Albiglutide Therapy Reduces Cardiovascular Events in Type 2 Diabetes – Renal and Urology News

Albiglutide, a long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, reduces the risk of cardiovascular events among older adults with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to the results of a post-hoc analysis published in Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism.

In the Harmony Outcomes trial (ClinicalTrials.gov; Identifier: NCT02465515), albiglutide reduced the rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) by 22% among patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, the relative risk of the composite MACE endpoint was reduced by 31% among the participants who were aged at least 75 years old at baseline.

To further analyze the effects of albiglutide on cardiovascular outcomes among older adults with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, researchers conducted a post hoc analysis of the Harmony Outcomes trial. Participants were stratified subgroups according to age.

The primary endpoint was time to first occurrence of a MACE, including death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, and stroke. The researchers used Cox proportional hazards regression to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

The analysis population included 9462 participants, of whom between 38% and 43% had a duration of diabetes between 10 and 20 years. Mean baseline weight decreased with age.

The researchers identified associations between albiglutide use and reduced risk for MACEs among participants aged:

• Less than 65 years (HR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53-0.82; P =.07);
• At least 65 years (HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.71-1.04; P =.07);
• Less than 75 years (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.67-0.91; P =.6); and,
• At least 75 years (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.48-1.01; P =.6).

When analyzed as a continuous variable, age did not alter the impact of albiglutide on the primary endpoint.

Study limitations include the exclusion of patients without established cardiovascular disease, a lack of generalizability due to a majority White population, and the exclusion of data on glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor combination therapy.

“This post hoc analysis adds to the body of literature showing that glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists added to standard type 2 diabetes therapy safely reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events in older adults with established cardiovascular disease,” the researchers wrote. “In this analysis, the risk-benefit profile was similar between younger and older age groups treated with albiglutide.”

Disclosure: Multiple study authors declared affiliations with biotech, pharmaceutical, and/or device companies. Please see the original reference for a full list of authors’ disclosures.

This article originally appeared on Endocrinology Advisor