Abstract Background and Aims Both dapagliflozin (DPG) and empagliflozin (EPG) are highly selective sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors that inhibit glucose reabsorption and increase its excretion in urine. Previously, DPG was limited to patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, while EPG can be used for those with an eGFR ≥ 45 mL/min/1.73 m2. Therefore DPG was switched to EPG in many patients when eGFR decreased. However, the clinical efficacy and safety of these switches are not clear. In this study, we compared the efficacy and renal safety between patients switching from DPG to EPG and those continuing DPG in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Method This retrospective observational study included patients with T2DM who were treated with DPG for more than 6 months. This study included patients who switched to EPG and those who continued using DPG. All other hypoglycemic drugs were maintained at the same dosage before and after the study period. The primary outcome measure was the change in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level after 6 months. The EPG group was evaluated for whether the hypoglycemic effect remain effective after drug switching. Patients with HbA1c levels at or lower than the baseline value after 6 months were defined as effective and patients with levels higher than the baseline were defined as invalid. Safety was evaluated by comparing the difference of eGFR between the baseline value and six months after treatment. Results This study included 169 patients. Among them, 72 patients continued DPG and 97 patients switched to EPG. HbA1c level decreased significantly only in EPG group. In EPG group, 59 patients belong to the effective group (60.8%) and 38 patients were invalid (39.2%). There was no significant change in eGFR after treatment in both groups. Ten patients in DPG group develop adverse reactions (three patients felt uncomfortable and seven patients had urinary tract symptoms), but all continued treatment. In EPG group, five patients lacked follow-up records during the study period and it was difficult to determine whether the patient’s willingness to continue treatment was affected by adverse reactions. Conclusion Our study showed that switching from DPG to EPG in patients with T2DM was effective for blood glucose maintenance and caused no significant changes in renal function. In addition, no severe drug-related adverse reactions were found.
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