Comparative outcomes between empagliflozin and dapagliflozin in heart failure: real world multi-center cohort study

Abstract Introduction Heart failure (HF) is a significant global health concern, and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, such as dapagliflozin and empagliflozin, have emerged as important therapeutic options. However, their comparative effectiveness in a real-world population remains uncertain. Purpose The purpose of this multicenter, population-based cohort study was to investigate and compare the outcomes associated with dapagliflozin and empagliflozin use in patients with heart failure. We sought to understand whether these SGLT2 inhibitors had differential effects on cardiovascular events in a real-world setting. Methods We analysed data from a clinical data warehouse encompassing seven medical centers. Subjects diagnosed with heart failure between January 2021 and November 2023, who were prescribed dapagliflozin or empagliflozin, were included. We conducted one-to-one propensity-score matching, ensuring that the dapagliflozin and empagliflozin groups were comparable in baseline characteristics. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular (CV) death or hospitalization for HF, analysed as the first event occurring after starting each medication. Secondary outcomes included individual components, all-cause death, and CV hospitalization. Results Propensity-score matching made a balanced cohort of 6,281 patients (3,111 in the dapagliflozin group and 3,170 in the empagliflozin group). The median follow-up duration was 16.0 months. In the propensity-score matched cohort, dapagliflozin and empagliflozin showed no significant difference in the primary outcome (8.8% versus 7.8%, hazard ratio [HR] 0.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.77-1.08, p=0.276). Similar findings were observed in secondary outcomes. Subgroup analysis revealed potential benefits of empagliflozin in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) (7.8% versus 5.6%, HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.55-0.98, p=0.039). Conclusion This study suggests that dapagliflozin and empagliflozin have similar clinical outcomes in the management of heart failure in a real-world setting. However, empagliflozin showed result in improving outcomes for HF patients with DM. Further research is warranted to validate these findings and guide clinical decision-making in the individualized management of heart failure.Baseline characteristicsSubgroup analysis