Cardiovascular and Renal Outcomes with Ertugliflozin by Baseline Use of Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Inhibitors or Diuretics, Including Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist: Analyses from the VERTIS CV Trial.

Introduction: VERTIS CV was a placebo-controlled cardiovascular (CV) outcome trial evaluating the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor ertugliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes and established atherosclerotic CV disease. The aim of the current analyses was to evaluate VERTIS CV cardiorenal outcomes according to baseline use of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors or diuretics, including mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs).

Methods: Participants received ertugliflozin 5 mg, ertugliflozin 15 mg, or placebo once daily and were followed for a mean of 3.5 years. Prespecified CV and kidney outcomes were analyzed by Cox proportional hazard modeling in participant subgroups defined by baseline use of RAAS inhibitors (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers) or diuretics (loop diuretics, non-loop diuretics, MRAs), with interaction testing to assess for treatment effect modification.

Results: A total of 8,246 patients were randomized in VERTIS CV. At baseline, 6,686 (81%) participants were being treated with RAAS inhibitors, 3,542 (43%) with diuretics, 1,252 (15%) with loop diuretics, and 674 (8%) with MRAs. No significant interactions were observed for cardiorenal outcomes by baseline use of RAAS inhibitors or MRAs (p _interaction > 0.05 for all). Statistically significant interactions for a first event of hospitalization for heart failure (HHF) or CV death, and of HHF (alone), were observed with baseline use of diuretics, including loop diuretics, with an increased benefit of ertugliflozin treatment versus placebo.

Conclusion: In VERTIS CV, baseline use of diuretics, particularly loop diuretics, identified a subgroup that demonstrated greater benefit with ertugliflozin on first HHF/CV death and HHF outcomes, with no modification of treatment effect observed with baseline use of RAAS inhibitors or MRAs. There was no evidence of treatment effect on the kidney composite outcomes by baseline use of RAAS inhibitors, diuretics, loop diuretics, or MRAs.