Comparison of Ipragliflozin and Pioglitazone Effects on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized, 24-Week, Open-Label, Active-Controlled Trial
TL;DR: Compared with pioglitazone, ipragliflozin exerts equally beneficial effects on NAFLD and glycemic control during the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes complicated by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy of ipragliflozin versus pioglitazone in patients with type 2 diabetes complicated by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In this open-label, randomized, active-controlled trial, we randomly assigned 66 patients with type 2 diabetes and NAFLD to receive ipragliflozin 50 mg ( n = 32) or pioglitazone 15–30 mg ( n = 34) orally once daily. The primary outcome was a change from baseline in the liver-to-spleen attenuation ratio (L/S ratio) on computed tomography at week 24. RESULTS At week 24, the mean ± SD L/S ratio had increased by 0.22 (from 0.80 ± 0.24 to 1.00 ± 0.18) in the ipragliflozin group and 0.21 (from 0.78 ± 0.26 to 0.98 ± 0.16) in the pioglitazone group ( P = 0.90). Serum aspartate and alanine aminotransferase levels, HbA 1c , and fasting plasma glucose were similarly reduced in the two treatment groups. Nevertheless, body weight and visceral fat area showed significant reductions only in the ipragliflozin group compared with the pioglitazone group ( P P = 0.0013, respectively). There were no serious adverse events in either group. CONCLUSIONS Compared with pioglitazone, ipragliflozin exerts equally beneficial effects on NAFLD and glycemic control during the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes complicated by NAFLD. Furthermore, ipragliflozin significantly reduced body weight and abdominal fat area.
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TL;DR: The obesity epidemic is closely associated with the rising prevalence and severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and targeting obesity is a rational option for its management.
Abstract: The obesity epidemic is closely associated with the rising prevalence and severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): obesity has been linked not only with simple steatosis (SS), but also with advanced disease, i.e., nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), NASH-related cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. As a consequence, apart from increasing all-cause mortality, obesity seems to increase liver-specific mortality in NAFLD patients. Given the lack of approved pharmacological interventions for NAFLD, targeting obesity is a rational option for its management. As the first step, lifestyle modification (diet and exercise) is recommended, although it is difficult to achieve and sustain. When the first step fails, adding pharmacotherapy is recommended. Several anti-obesity medications have been investigated in NAFLD (e.g., orlistat, glucagon-like peptide-1 analogs), other anti-obesity medications have not been investigated (e.g., lorcaserin, phentermine hydrochloric, phentermine/topiramate and naltrexone/bupropion), whereas some medications with weight-lowering efficacy have not been approved for obesity (e.g., sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, farnesoid X receptor ligands). If the combination of lifestyle modification and pharmacotherapy also fails, then bariatric surgery should be considered in selected morbidly obese individuals. This review summarizes best evidence linking obesity with NAFLD and presents related therapeutic options.
550 citations
TL;DR: Among a variety of medications in development, four agents such as OCA, elafibranor, ASK1 inhibitor, and CVC are currently being evaluated in an international phase 3 trial for the treatment of NASH.
Abstract: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent liver disease worldwide, and there is no approved pharmacotherapy. The efficacy of vitamin E and pioglitazone has been established in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a progressive form of NAFLD. GLP-1RA and SGLT2 inhibitors, which are currently approved for use in diabetes, have shown early efficacy in NASH, and also have beneficial cardiovascular or renal effects. Innovative NASH therapies include four main pathways. The first approach is targeting hepatic fat accumulation. Medications in this approach include modulation of peroxisome proliferator-activator receptors (e.g., pemafibrate, elafibranor), medications targeting farnesoid X receptor axis [obeticholic acid; OCA)], inhibitors of de novo lipogenesis (aramchol, ACC inhibitor), and fibroblast growth factor-21 analogues. A second target is oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. This class of drug includes apoptosis signaling kinase 1 (ASK1) inhibitor and emricasan (an irreversible caspase inhibitor). A third target is intestinal microbiomes and metabolic endotoxemia. Several agents are in ongoing trials, including IMMe124, TLR4 antagonist, and solithromycin (macrolide antibiotics). The final target is hepatic fibrosis, which is strongly associated with all-cause or liver-related mortality in NASH. Antifibrotic agents are a cysteine–cysteine motif chemokine receptor-2/5 antagonist (cenicriviroc; CVC) and galectin 3 antagonist. Among a variety of medications in development, four agents such as OCA, elafibranor, ASK1 inhibitor, and CVC are currently being evaluated in an international phase 3 trial for the treatment of NASH. Within the next few years, the availability of therapeutic options for NASH will hopefully curb the rising trend of NASH-related diseases.
451 citations
TL;DR: The value of immunomodulation for the treatment of cardiovascular disease was recently supported by large-scale clinical trials demonstrating reduced cardiovascular mortality in patients with established atherosclerotic disease when treated by highly specific anti-inflammatory therapies.
Abstract: Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death and reduced quality of life, proven by the latest data of the Global Burden of Disease Study, and is only gaining in prevalence worldwide. Clinical trials have identified chronic inflammatory disorders as cardiovascular risks, and recent research has revealed a contribution by various inflammatory cells to vascular oxidative stress. Atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease are closely associated with inflammation, probably due to the close interaction of inflammation with oxidative stress. Classical therapies for inflammatory disorders have demonstrated protective effects in various models of cardiovascular disease; especially established drugs with pleiotropic immunomodulatory properties have proven beneficial cardiovascular effects; normalization of oxidative stress seems to be a common feature of these therapies. The close link between inflammation and redox balance was also supported by reports on aggravated inflammatory phenotype in the absence of antioxidant defense proteins (e.g., superoxide dismutases, heme oxygenase-1, and glutathione peroxidases) or overexpression of reactive oxygen species producing enzymes (e.g., NADPH oxidases). The value of immunomodulation for the treatment of cardiovascular disease was recently supported by large-scale clinical trials demonstrating reduced cardiovascular mortality in patients with established atherosclerotic disease when treated by highly specific anti-inflammatory therapies (e.g., using monoclonal antibodies against cytokines). Modern antidiabetic cardiovascular drugs (e.g., SGLT2 inhibitors, DPP-4 inhibitors, and GLP-1 analogs) seem to share these immunomodulatory properties and display potent antioxidant effects, all of which may explain their successful lowering of cardiovascular risk.
326 citations
TL;DR: Key proposed mechanisms linking IR and NAFLD, such as changes in rates of adipose tissue lipolysis and de novo lipogenesis, impaired mitochondrial fatty acid β‐oxidation, changes in fat distribution, alterations in the gut microbiome, and alterations in levels of adipokines and cytokines are highlighted.
261 citations
Cites background from "Comparison of Ipragliflozin and Pio..."
...In two recent open-label studies,(38,39) investigators reported a significant decrease in the liver-to-spleen attenuation ratio in patients with T2DM treated for 6 months with luseogliflozin or ipragliflozin, respectively....
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TL;DR: Combined treatment with dapagliflozin and OM-3CA significantly reduced liver fat content and monotherapy reduced all measured hepatocyte injury biomarkers and FGF21, suggesting a disease-modifying effect in NAFLD.
Abstract: The EFFECT-II study aimed to investigate the effects of dapagliflozin and omega-3 (n-3) carboxylic acids (OM-3CA), individually or combined, on liver fat content in individuals with type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This randomised placebo-controlled double-blind parallel-group study was performed at five clinical research centres at university hospitals in Sweden. 84 participants with type 2 diabetes and NAFLD were randomly assigned 1:1:1:1 to four treatments by a centralised randomisation system, and all participants as well as investigators and staff involved in the study conduct and analyses were blinded to treatments. Each group received oral doses of one of the following: 10 mg dapagliflozin (n = 21), 4 g OM-3CA (n = 20), a combination of both (n = 22) or placebo (n = 21). The primary endpoint was liver fat content assessed by MRI (proton density fat fraction [PDFF]) and, in addition, total liver volume and markers of glucose and lipid metabolism as well as of hepatocyte injury and oxidative stress were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment (completion of the trial). Participants had a mean age of 65.5 years (SD 5.9), BMI 31.2 kg/m2 (3.5) and liver PDFF 18% (9.3). All active treatments significantly reduced liver PDFF from baseline, relative changes: OM-3CA, −15%; dapagliflozin, −13%; OM-3CA + dapagliflozin, −21%. Only the combination treatment reduced liver PDFF (p = 0.046) and total liver fat volume (relative change, −24%, p = 0.037) in comparison with placebo. There was an interaction between the PNPLA3 I148M polymorphism and change in liver PDFF in the active treatment groups (p = 0.03). Dapagliflozin monotherapy, but not the combination with OM-3CA, reduced the levels of hepatocyte injury biomarkers, including alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, γ-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT), cytokeratin (CK) 18-M30 and CK 18-M65 and plasma fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21). Changes in γ-GT correlated with changes in liver PDFF (ρ = 0.53, p = 0.02). Dapagliflozin alone and in combination with OM-3CA improved glucose control and reduced body weight and abdominal fat volumes. Fatty acid oxidative stress biomarkers were not affected by treatments. There were no new or unexpected adverse events compared with previous studies with these treatments. Combined treatment with dapagliflozin and OM-3CA significantly reduced liver fat content. Dapagliflozin monotherapy reduced all measured hepatocyte injury biomarkers and FGF21, suggesting a disease-modifying effect in NAFLD. ClinicalTrials.gov
NCT02279407 The study was funded by AstraZeneca.
230 citations
References
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TL;DR: Patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk for cardiovascular events who received empagliflozin, as compared with placebo, had a lower rate of the primary composite cardiovascular outcome and of death from any cause when the study drug was added to standard care.
Abstract: BACKGROUND The effects of empagliflozin, an inhibitor of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2, in addition to standard care, on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk are not known. METHODS We randomly assigned patients to receive 10 mg or 25 mg of empagliflozin or placebo once daily. The primary composite outcome was death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke, as analyzed in the pooled empagliflozin group versus the placebo group. The key secondary composite outcome was the primary outcome plus hospitalization for unstable angina. RESULTS A total of 7020 patients were treated (median observation time, 3.1 years). The primary outcome occurred in 490 of 4687 patients (10.5%) in the pooled empagliflozin group and in 282 of 2333 patients (12.1%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio in the empagliflozin group, 0.86; 95.02% confidence interval, 0.74 to 0.99; P = 0.04 for superiority). There were no significant between-group differences in the rates of myocardial infarction or stroke, but in the empagliflozin group there were significantly lower rates of death from cardiovascular causes (3.7%, vs. 5.9% in the placebo group; 38% relative risk reduction), hospitalization for heart failure (2.7% and 4.1%, respectively; 35% relative risk reduction), and death from any cause (5.7% and 8.3%, respectively; 32% relative risk reduction). There was no significant between-group difference in the key secondary outcome (P = 0.08 for superiority). Among patients receiving empagliflozin, there was an increased rate of genital infection but no increase in other adverse events. CONCLUSIONS Patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk for cardiovascular events who received empagliflozin, as compared with placebo, had a lower rate of the primary composite cardiovascular outcome and of death from any cause when the study drug was added to standard care. (Funded by Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly; EMPA-REG OUTCOME ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01131676.)
7,705 citations
"Comparison of Ipragliflozin and Pio..." refers background in this paper
...They have also reportedly shownpleiotropic effects on various complications and regulatory effects on macrovascular events (8,9) as well as beneficial effects on hepatic dysfunction in both clinical trials and animal models (10–12)....
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TL;DR: The prevalence of hepatic steatosis was greater in men than women among whites, but not in blacks or Hispanics, and significant ethnic and sex differences in the prevalence may have a profound impact on susceptibility to Steatosis‐related liver disease.
3,429 citations
"Comparison of Ipragliflozin and Pio..." refers background in this paper
...Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a broad disease concept that ranges from nonalcoholic fatty liver, which refers to steatosis affecting hepatocytes, to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the inflammationand fibrosis that occur in addition to steatosis and may result in hepatic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (1)....
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Virginia Commonwealth University1, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis2, Virginia Mason Medical Center3, Case Western Reserve University4, Duke University5, University of California, San Francisco6, Saint Louis University7, University of California, San Diego8, Johns Hopkins University9, Washington University in St. Louis10, National Institutes of Health11
TL;DR: Vitamin E was superior to placebo for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in adults without diabetes, and significant benefits of pioglitazone were observed for some of the secondary outcomes.
Abstract: Background Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is a common liver disease that can progress to cirrho sis. Currently, there is no established treatment for this disease. Methods We randomly assigned 247 adults with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and without dia betes to receive pioglitazone at a dose of 30 mg daily (80 subjects), vitamin E at a dose of 800 IU daily (84 subjects), or placebo (83 subjects), for 96 weeks. The pri mary outcome was an improvement in histologic features of nonalcoholic steato hepatitis, as assessed with the use of a composite of standardized scores for steato sis, lobular inflammation, hepatocellular ballooning, and fibrosis. Given the two planned primary comparisons, P values of less than 0.025 were considered to indi cate statistical significance. Results Vitamin E therapy, as compared with placebo, was associated with a significantly higher rate of improvement in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (43% vs. 19%, P = 0. 001), but the difference in the rate of improvement with pioglitazone as compared with placebo was not significant (34% and 19%, respectively; P = 0. 04). Serum alanine and aspartate aminotransferase levels were reduced with vitamin E and with pio glitazone, as compared with placebo (P<0.001 for both comparisons), and both agents were associated with reductions in hepatic steatosis (P = 0. 005 for vitamin E and P<0.001 for pioglitazone) and lobular inflammation (P = 0. 02 for vitamin E and P = 0. 004 for pioglitazone) but not with improvement in fibrosis scores (P = 0. 24 for vitamin E and P = 0. 12 for pioglitazone). Subjects who received pioglitazone gained more weight than did those who received vitamin E or placebo; the rates of other side effects were similar among the three groups. Conclusions Vitamin E was superior to placebo for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in adults without diabetes. There was no benefit of pioglitazone over placebo for the primary outcome; however, significant benefits of pioglitazone were observed for some of the secondary outcomes. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT000 63622.)
2,632 citations
TL;DR: A simple scoring system accurately separates patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with and without advanced fibrosis, rendering liver biopsy for identification ofAdvanced fibrosis unnecessary in a substantial proportion of patients.
2,387 citations
"Comparison of Ipragliflozin and Pio..." refers methods in this paper
...We also determined the NAFLD fibrosis score (14), fibrosis 4 (FIB4) index (15), and NAFIC (NASH, ferritin, IRI, and type IV collagen 7S) score (16) at the start of the trial and after 24 weeks as noninvasive screening for NASH progression....
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TL;DR: Prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and NASH is higher than estimated previously and Hispanics and patients with diabetes are at greatest risk for both NAFLD and NASh.
1,910 citations
"Comparison of Ipragliflozin and Pio..." refers background in this paper
...The frequency of NAFLD continues to increase worldwide, and its prevalence in Western countries has grown to ;20–40% (3)....
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