Short-term effectiveness of dapagliflozin versus DPP-4 inhibitors in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes: a multicentre retrospective study

AIM: To compare effectiveness of dapagliflozin versus DPP-4 inhibitors on individualized HbA1c targets and extra-glycaemic endpoints among elderly patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: This was a multicentre retrospective study on patients aged 70–80 years with HbA1c above individualized target and starting dapagliflozin or DPP-4 inhibitors in 2015–2017. The primary outcome was the proportion reaching individualized HbA1c targets. Confounding by indication was addressed by inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW), multivariable adjustment (MVA), or propensity score matching (PSM). RESULTS: Patients initiating dapagliflozin (n = 445) differed from those initiating DPP-4i (n = 977) and balance between groups was achieved with IPTW or PSM. The median follow-up was 7.5 months and baseline HbA1c was 8.3%. A smaller proportion of patients initiating dapagliflozin attained individualized HbA1c target as compared to those initiating DPP-4 inhibitors (RR 0.73, p < 0.0001). IPTW, MVA, and PSM yielded similar results. Between-group difference in the primary outcome was observed among patients with lower eGFR or longer disease duration. Dapagliflozin allowed greater reductions in body weight and blood pressure than DPP-4 inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly patients with T2D initiating dapagliflozin had a lower probability of achieving individualized HbA1c targets than those initiating DPP-4 inhibitors but displayed better improvements in extra-glycaemic endpoints. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40618-022-02002-2.