Effect of the Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitor Canagliflozin for Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Background The efficacy of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors in elderly patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains unclear. Methods and Results In a multicenter, controlled trial, the CANONICAL study, we enrolled 82 HFpEF (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] ≥50%) patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) aged ≥65 years, with plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) ≥100 pg/mL or plasma N-terminal pro BNP (NT-proBNP) ≥400 pg/mL or history of HF. Patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups and were administered either the SGLT2 inhibitor canagliflozin (100 mg/day) for 24 weeks or standard therapy. The primary endpoints were changes in body weight (BW) and BNP concentrations. Mean (±SD) patient age, body mass index, and LVEF were 75.7±6.5 years, 25.0±3.6 kg/m2 and 61.5±7.6%, respectively. At 24 weeks, BW was significantly lower in the canagliflozin than standard therapy group. The extent of BNP reductions at 4 weeks was significantly greater in the canagliflozin than standard therapy group (P<0.05), but at 24 weeks there was no significant difference between the 2 groups. Conclusions In this study, canagliflozin treatment reduced BW, but did not significantly reduce plasma BNP concentrations compared with standard therapy after 24 weeks treatment in T2D patients with HFpEF. Further large-scale randomized studies are needed to conclude the beneficial effects of canagliflozin in T2D patients with HFpEF.