Real-World Effectiveness of Sodium Glucose Co-Transporter-2 Inhibitors in Japanese Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Introduction Sodium glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have been on the market for 5 years in Japan. We explored the real-world effectiveness of SGLT2i in Japan. Methods We retrospectively analyzed two large Japanese administrative databases from JMDC Inc.: insurance-dataset (I-dataset) and Medical Data Vision Co. Ltd. [hospital-dataset (H-dataset)]. Patients who newly started SGLT2i or other oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs) between 1 April 2014 and 31 March 2016 were selected for this analysis and followed for 1 year from the index date. Changes in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were evaluated during the 1-year period. Results A total of 127,961 patients in the H-dataset and 26,436 in the I-dataset were included in this analysis. Baseline HbA1c, BMI, and eGFR levels tended to be higher in SGLT2i users than in other OAD cohorts. After 1 year, 44.3% (I-dataset) and 53.3% (H-dataset) of SGLT2i users and 33.0–44.2% (I-dataset) and 47.0–58.1% (H-dataset) of other users were still on their medications. The mean HbA1c level decreased by − 0.7 to − 0.9% in SGLT2i users versus − 0.4 to − 1.5% in the other cohorts. The mean BMI decreased by − 0.8 kg/m 2 in SGLT2i users whereas the change in other cohorts was − 0.5 to 0.4 kg/m 2 . No clinically relevant changes in eGFR were observed over the period. Conclusion This study showed that around half of the SGLT2i users were still on medication after 1 year from treatment initiation. Initiation of SGLT2i was associated with improvement in HbA1c and BMI, with no abnormal changes in renal function observed in the first year following treatment. These findings support the results from clinical trials and will expand the existing evidence of SGLT2i use in real-life practice in Japan. Funding Astellas Pharma Inc., Tokyo, Japan.