Finding no head-to-head research evaluating the cardiovascular and renal benefits of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) at different baseline renal function, we performed a network meta-analysis to compare the two drugs indirectly. Systematic literature searches were conducted of the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase databases, covering their inception until 7 January 2025. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effects of SGLT-2i and GLP-1RA in T2D with different glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs) were selected. Results were reported as risk ratios (RRs) with corresponding 95% CIs. Finally, 10 RCTs involving 87,334 patients with T2D were included. In patients with an eGFR >90 mL/min/1.73 m2, GLP-1RA exhibited a superior ability to reduce the risk of all-cause death compared with SGLT-2i (RR 0.75; 95% CI 0.58, 0.97), but it was less effective in reducing the risk of renal outcome (RR 1.80; 95% CI 1.15, 2.84) in patients with an eGFR 60–90 mL/min/1.73 m2. Conversely, in patients with eGFR 30–60 and 60–90 mL/min/1.73 m2, GLP-1RA did not show an advantage in reducing the risk of hospitalization for heart failure (RR 1.87 [95% CI 1.15, 3.04] and 1.37 [95% CI 1.05, 1.78], respectively).
Article Highlights
- In patients with type 2 diabetes with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) >90 mL/min/1.73 m2, glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists reduced the risk of all-cause death.
- In contrast, for patients with eGFR between 30 and 90 mL/min/1.73 m2, sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors significantly decreased the risk of hospitalization for heart failure and renal outcome.
