Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors came out on top in a large meta-analysis of clinical trials that compared the newer classes of diabetes drugs head-to-head in terms of mortality, cardiovascular, and safety endpoints. Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors fared the worst in the analysis, and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists were in the middle, reported researcher of the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, and colleagues. "No cardiovascular outcome trials have directly compared the efficacy of these classes.
When no head-to-head trial exists, network meta-analysis can be used to estimate the effect," his group wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association . "Of the three classes tested, SGLT-2 inhibition may be preferred over the incretin-based therapies based on their association with lower mortality and their favorable adverse event profile."…
