Empagliflozin provides consistent benefits for HFpEF patients

Empagliflozin is associated with a consistent reduction in the risk of adverse outcomes among patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), according to new data published in Circulation.

The SGLT2 inhibitor, sold by Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company under the name Jardiance, also improved health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for these patients, an impact that lasted for at least one full year. 

The study included 5,942 patients with a baseline Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) assessment. Fifty-eight percent of patients were women, and the median patient age was 72.8 years old. All data came from the EMPEROR-Preserved trial.

Patients who had a lower KCCQ clinical summary scores (CSS) tended to be women, white, and enrolled in Europe. They were also more likely to have a lower New York Heart Association class, a higher body mass index, higher N-terminal pro-hormone B-type natriuretic peptide levels, a history of diabetes or a history of atrial fibrillation.

According to the authors, empagliflozin reduced the primary outcome of time to cardiovascular death or heart failure (HF) hospitalization for all patients, whether their KCCQ-CSS was greater than 62.5, between 62.5 and 83.3 or greater than 83.3. 

A similar trend was seen for total HF hospitalizations.

The authors also found that patients treated with empagliflozin consistently saw a substantial improvement in their KCCQ-CSS after 12, 32 and 52 weeks.

"Patients treated with empagliflozin were more likely to show clinically meaningful improvement and less likely to experience clinically meaningful deterioration in health status," wrote lead author Javed Butler, MD, with the department of medicine at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson, and colleagues. 

Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company did provide support for the original EMPEROR-Preserved trial. While some study authors are employees of Boehringer Ingelheim, Butler reported receiving consulting fees from Boehringer Ingelheim.

Read the entire study here.

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