Comparative Effectiveness of Finerenone Versus SGLT2 Inhibitors in Patients with HFpEF and CKD: A Real-World Propensity-Matched TriNetX Analysis

Background: Finerenone and sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors provide cardiovascular and renal benefits in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and heart failure (HF), but real-world comparative evidence is limited. Methods: This retrospective study used the TriNetX database. Adults ≥ 40 years with CKD stages 1–5 and HF [LVEF > 40%; excluding end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or dialysis] receiving finerenone were compared with those on SGLT2 inhibitors. Propensity score matching (1:1) yielded 333 patients per cohort. Kaplan–Meier and Cox models estimated hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: After matching, baseline characteristics were reasonably balanced, with some residual imbalance remaining. All-cause mortality was similar between finerenone and SGLT2 inhibitors at 6 months (HR 0.98; 95% CI 0.50–1.90) and 1 year (HR 0.93; 95% CI 0.53–1.66). All-cause hospitalization or ER visits were also comparable at 6 months (HR 1.07; 95% CI 0.84–1.36) and 1 year (HR 1.04; 95% CI 0.83–1.29). Finerenone was associated with a modest, borderline reduction in HF hospitalization at 1 year, without consistent effects across timepoints or a mortality benefit; thus, this finding is hypothesis-generating (HR 0.81; 95% CI 0.66–0.99). Safety outcomes were similar between groups. Conclusions: In this real-world analysis, finerenone was associated with similar all-cause mortality, overall hospitalization, and renal safety outcomes compared with SGLT2 inhibitors, with a modest reduction in HF hospitalization at 1 year that should be interpreted cautiously given the exploratory nature of the study. These findings are hypothesis-generating and underscore the need for prospective head-to-head trials to better define optimal therapy sequencing in patients with HFpEF and CKD.