Newer Second-Line Diabetes drugs increase cirrhosis risk in diabetes patients: Study

The researchers estimated crude incidence rates (IRs) and propensity-score adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) for incident cirrhosis using the US Medicare Fee-for-Service database (2007-2015) and an active comparator, new-user design. They compared newer GLDs (dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4i), glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1RA), and sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i)) vs. TZDs. 

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Key findings of the study include:

"We observed mildly elevated cirrhosis risk with newer glucose-lowering drugs
vs. thiazolidinediones; however, uncertainty remains due to imprecise and statistically non-significant effect estimates. So, these findings need to be confirmed with subsequent studies," concluded the authors.

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The study, "Newer second-line glucose-lowering drugs versus thiazolidinediones on cirrhosis risk among older US adult patients with type 2 diabetes," is published in the Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2020.107706