FDA approves dapagliflozin to treat chronic kidney diseases

      The U.S. Food and Drug Administration now approved Dapagliflozin for reducing the risk of kidney function decline, kidney failure, cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure in adults with chronic kidney disease who are at risk of disease progression.

      The efficacy of Dapagliflozin to improve kidney outcomes and reduce cardiovascular death in patients with chronic kidney disease was evaluated in a multicenter, double-blind study.

      Results showed that 197 of the 2,152 patients who received Dapagliflozin had at least one of the composite endpoint events compared to 312 of the 2,152 patients who received a placebo.

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Asthma exacerbations are lowered by GLP-1 receptor agonists in individuals with asthma and diabetes

      GLP-1R (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor) agonists are approved to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. It is also noticed that GLP-1R agonists decrease airway inflammation and hyper responsiveness in preclinical models.

      A study data published in the ‘American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine’ revealed that GLP-1R agonists are effective in lowering asthma exacerbations in people with asthma and diabetes. The study was an electronic health records-based new-user, active-comparator, retrospective cohort study of patients with type 2 diabetes and asthma and aimed to compare rates of asthma exacerbations and symptoms between adults with type 2 diabetes and asthma prescribed GLP-1R agonists and those prescribed SGLT-2 (sodium–glucose cotransporter-2) inhibitors, DPP-4 (dipeptidyl peptidase-4) inhibitors, sulfonylureas, or basal insulin for diabetes treatment intensification. The primary outcome was asthma exacerbations and the secondary outcome was encounters for asthma symptoms.

      At 6 months, asthma exacerbation counts were lower in persons initiating GLP-1R agonists compared with SGLT-2 inhibitors, DPP-4 inhibitors, sulfonylureas, and basal insulin. Healthcare encounters for asthma symptoms were also lower among GLP-1R agonist users.

      Adult patients with asthma prescribed GLP-1R agonists for type 2 diabetes had lower counts of asthma exacerbations compared with other drugs initiated for treatment intensification and thus GLP-1R agonists may represent a novel treatment for asthma associated with metabolic dysfunction.

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