Add-on therapy with dapagliflozin in routine outpatient care of type 2 diabetes patients from Turkey: a retrospective cohort study on HbA1c, body weight, and blood pressure outcomes

Background The efficacy of dapagliflozin has been less extensively studied in the real-life context, limiting the comparability of observational real-world evidence with results from dapagliflozin clinical trials. This study aimed to evaluate HbA1c, blood pressure (BP), and weight outcomes in dapagliflozin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) treated in a real-world setting. Methods A total of 1683 T2D patients (mean (SD) age: 54.6 years (9.1), 56.6% were females) initiating dapagliflozin were included in this multicenter retrospective observational cohort study. Data on patient demographics, comorbidities, duration of diabetes, and concomitant antidiabetic treatment were recorded. Change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body weight, body mass index (BMI), and BP levels with dapagliflozin treatment and dapagliflozin discontinuation rates were evaluated based on baseline, 3rd-month, and 6th-month data. Results At the end of 6-month dapagliflozin treatment (discontinued in 4.3% of patients), HbA1c levels were ≤7% in 30.1% of patients, BP was ≤140/90 mmHg in 95.9% of patients, and >5% weight loss was evident in 38.0% of patients. Less than 5-year diabetes duration was associated with significantly higher rate of achieving HbA1c ≤7% ( p = 0.032), BP ≤140/90 mmHg ( p = 0.001), and BP ≤130/80 mmHg ( p < 0.001) targets at the 6th month ( p = 0.032) as compared with longer diabetes duration. Conclusion In conclusion, this nationwide observational study in T2D patients treated with dapagliflozin in Turkey provided real-life evidence on significant and clinically meaningful reductions in HbA1c, body weight, and BP within 6-month therapy.