Efficacy and safety of saxagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, in hemodialysis patients with diabetic nephropathy: A randomized open-label prospective trial

Aims: Saxagliptin is a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor that was approved in Japan for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in 2013. We examined its efficacy and safety in Japanese hemodialysis patients with diabetic nephropathy. Methods: In this prospective, open-label, parallel-group study, Japanese hemodialysis patients were randomized to receive either oral saxagliptin (2.5 mg/day) or usual care (control group) for 24 weeks. Before randomization, patients received fixed doses of conventional antidiabetic drugs (oral drugs and/or insulin) for 8 weeks; these drugs were continued during the study. Endpoints included changes in glycated albumin (GA), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), postprandial plasma glucose (PPG), and adverse events. Results: Both groups included 41 patients. Mean GA, HbA1c, and PPG decreased significantly in the saxagliptin group (-3.4%, -0.6% [-7 mmol/mol], and -38.3 mg/dL, respectively; all P < 0.0001) but not in the control group (0%, -0.1% [-1 mmol/mol], and -3.7 mg/dL, respectively) (P < 0.0001, P < 0.001, and P < 0.0001, respectively). In saxagliptin-treated patients, the reduction in GA was significantly greater when saxagliptin was administered as monotherapy than in combination therapy (-4.2% vs. -3.0%, P = 0.012) despite similar baseline values (24.5% vs. 23.3%). Reductions in GA, HbA1c, and PPG were greater in patients whose baseline values exceeded the median (23.8% for GA, 6.6% for HbA1c, and 180 mg/dL for PPG). There were no adverse events associated with saxagliptin. Conclusions: Saxagliptin (2.5 mg/day) was effective and well tolerated when used as monotherapy or combined with other antidiabetic drugs in Japanese hemodialysis patients with type 2 diabetes. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.