Dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 inhibitors did not improve renal endpoints in advanced diabetic kidney disease

Objective: The efficacy of dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP4is) in advanced diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is unknown. We investigated whether DPP4is confer renal protective benefits in DKD patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study between 2012 and 2018 in Taiwan. We only included type 2 diabetes patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) between 30 and 90 mL/min/1.73 m2 and urine albumin to creatinine ratio between 300 and 5,000 mg/g. Patients with DPP4i prescriptions were selected as cases, while non-DPP4i users served as controls. We followed these patients until the presence of composite primary renal endpoints, which was defined by the earliest occurrence of clinical renal outcomes. Results: A total of 522 patients were included in the analysis, comprising 273 patients with a DPP4i prescription who were selected as cases and 249 patients without DPP4i prescription who were assigned as controls. Median follow-up duration for DPP4i users and nonusers was 2.2 years and 3.4 years, respectively. At baseline, the mean glycated hemoglobin levels for DPP4i users and nonusers were 8.1% and 8.3%, respectively. Among patients with DPP4i prescriptions, there was no reduction in composite primary renal outcome, with a crude hazard ratio (HR) of 1.50 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.95 to 2.36). Similar results were observed for the risk of persistent eGFR <15 mL/min/1.73 m2, with a HR of 1.68 (95% CI, 0.90 to 3.13), doubling of serum creatinine level, with a HR of 1.05 (95% CI, 0.15 to 7.45), and end-stage renal disease, with a HR of 0.87 (95% CI, 0.14 to 5.19). Conclusion: DPP4i prescription did not reduce the risk of composite renal endpoints in DKD patients.