Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with obesity and prevalent heart failure: a prespecified analysis of the SELECT trial

Background: Semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, reduces the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in people with overweight or obesity, but the effects of this drug on outcomes in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and heart failure are unknown. We report a prespecified analysis of the effect of once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide 2·4 mg on ischaemic and heart failure cardiovascular outcomes. We aimed to investigate if semaglutide was beneficial in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with a history of heart failure compared with placebo; if there was a difference in outcome in patients designated as having heart failure with preserved ejection fraction compared with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction; and if the efficacy and safety of semaglutide in patients with heart failure was related to baseline characteristics or subtype of heart failure. Methods: The SELECT trial was a randomised, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled, event-driven phase 3 trial in 41 countries. Adults aged 45 years and older, with a BMI of 27 kg/m2 or greater and established cardiovascular disease were eligible for the study. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) with a block size of four using an interactive web response system in a double-blind manner to escalating doses of once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide over 16 weeks to a target dose of 2·4 mg, or placebo. In a prespecified analysis, we examined the effect of semaglutide compared with placebo in patients with and without a history of heart failure at enrolment, subclassified as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, or unclassified heart failure. Endpoints comprised MACE (a composite of non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, and cardiovascular death); a composite heart failure outcome (cardiovascular death or hospitalisation or urgent hospital visit for heart failure); cardiovascular death; and all-cause death. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03574597. Findings: Between Oct 31, 2018, and March 31, 2021, 17 604 patients with a mean age of 61·6 years (SD 8·9) and a mean BMI of 33·4 kg/m2 (5·0) were randomly assigned to receive semaglutide (8803 [50·0%] patients) or placebo (8801 [50·0%] patients). 4286 (24·3%) of 17 604 patients had a history of investigator-defined heart failure at enrolment: 2273 (53·0%) of 4286 patients had heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, 1347 (31·4%) had heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and 666 (15·5%) had unclassified heart failure. Baseline characteristics were similar between patients with and without heart failure. Patients with heart failure had a higher incidence of clinical events. Semaglutide improved all outcome measures in patients with heart failure at random assignment compared with those without heart failure (hazard ratio [HR] 0·72, 95% CI 0·60-0·87 for MACE; 0·79, 0·64-0·98 for the heart failure composite endpoint; 0·76, 0·59-0·97 for cardiovascular death; and 0·81, 0·66-1·00 for all-cause death; all pinteraction>0·19). Treatment with semaglutide resulted in improved outcomes in both the heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HR 0·65, 95% CI 0·49-0·87 for MACE; 0·79, 0·58-1·08 for the composite heart failure endpoint) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction groups (0·69, 0·51-0·91 for MACE; 0·75, 0·52-1·07 for the composite heart failure endpoint), although patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction had higher absolute event rates than those with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. For MACE and the heart failure composite, there were no significant differences in benefits across baseline age, sex, BMI, New York Heart Association status, and diuretic use. Serious adverse events were less frequent with semaglutide versus placebo, regardless of heart failure subtype. Interpretation: In patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diease and overweight or obesity, treatment with semaglutide 2·4 mg reduced MACE and composite heart failure endpoints compared with placebo in those with and without clinical heart failure, regardless of heart failure subtype. Our findings could facilitate prescribing and result in improved clinical outcomes for this patient group. Funding: Novo Nordisk

Effects of the Therapeutic Armamentarium on Survival and Time to Next Treatment in CMML Subtypes: An International Analysis of 950 Cases Coordinated By the AGMT Study Group

Background Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is an ultrarare stem cell disorder defined by the presence of monocytosis (≥1.0 G/l, ≥10%). Depending on white blood cell (WBC) count, CMML can be divided into a myelodysplastic (MD) (WBC ≤13 G/l) and a myeloproliferative (MP) variant (WBC >13 G/l). Although hypomethylating agents (HMA) have been shown to prolong overall survival (OS) in MDS patients (pts) in prospective, randomized phase III trials, only 6-14 MD-CMML pts were included, and MP-CMML pts were excluded [Silverman 2002; Kantarjian 2006; Fenaux 2009]. EMA approval of azacitidine (AZA) in CMML is thus based on limited experience and restricted to MD-CMML with 10-29% bone marrow blasts (BMB), whereas decitabine (DAC) is not approved for treatment (trt) of CMML in the EU. Smaller analyses and single-arm trials of HMA in CMML exist [Wijermans 2008; Ades 2013; Pleyer 2014; Zeidan 2017; Duchmann 2018; Santini 2018; Coston 2019; Diamantopoulos 2019], but it is still unclear whether HMA provide a benefit in CMML (subgroups) compared with other trts. Aim Evaluate the impact of HMA and hydroxyurea (HU) trt on OS and time to next trt (TTNT). Methods Data were collected from 7 European study groups and 2 US MDS Centers of Excellence; database lock 27.05.19; Assign Data Management and Biostatistics GmbH performed statistical analyses with SAS® 9.3. Of 1657 CMML pts, only those who received trt (n=950), with documented WBC and BMB at 1st line, were included in these analyses (n=845, cohort 1). Pts were stratified according to the EMA approved AZA indication, and inclusion/exclusion criteria of the GFM-DAC-CMML trial assessing DAC +/- HU vs HU (NCT02214407) (diagnosis of CMML, no prior trt [except supportive care, erythropoietin or ≤6 weeks HU], WBC ≥13 G/l and ≥2 of the following: BMB ≥5%, clonal cytogenetic abnormality [other than -Y], hemoglobin 16 G/l, platelet count 2 excluded) (n=486; cohort 2). Results In cohort 1, pts receiving HMA 1st line (n=375) had longer OS (19.8 vs 16.3 months [mo], P=0.0102) and TTNT (13.2 vs 6.7 mo, P=0.0001) than pts treated with non-HMA 1st line (n=470). Survival benefit was longer when comparing pts who received HMA (any time) (AZA [n=442], DAC [n=37], both [n=27]) with those that never received HMA (never HMA; n=339) (23.0 vs 13.0 mo, P<0.0001). Median OS was longer for MD-CMML (n=294) vs MP-CMML pts (n=551) (25.5 vs 15.0 mo, P<0.0001). OS was shorter for all pts with 1st line HU preceding any 2nd line trt (9.4 vs 19.6 mo; P<0.0001; Fig A), for MP-CMML pts separately (8.7 vs 15.6 mo, P=0.0001), and for the subset with HU preceding 2nd line HMA (11.6 vs 19.8 mo; P=0.0016; Fig B). The following were significantly less common in pts treated with HMA vs those that were not: diagnosis in the pre-HMA era (8 vs 43%), MP-CMML (48 vs 66%), splenomegaly (27 vs 36%), ECOG≥2 (12 vs 24%), 1 trt line (43 vs 74%). WHO subtype, karyotype, transfusion dependence, LDH, CPSS score, AML transformation and therapy-related CMML were comparable between cohorts. HMA are not approved in the EU for CMML pts with <10% BMB. In this subgroup (n=588), median OS was longer for MD-CMML vs MP-CMML (28.1 vs 17.0 mo, P<0.0001) and for pts who received HMA vs never HMA (26.5 vs 14.8 mo, P=0.0003). Pts with <10% BMB and MD-CMML (n=206) did not seem to benefit from HMA vs non-HMA trt (median OS 28.4 vs 25.3 mo, P=0.9908; Fig C), whereas the MP-CMML subgroup (n=382) did (24.4 vs 13.0 mo, P<0.0001; Fig D). HMA are also unapproved in the EU for MP-CMML pts with ≥10% BMB. In pts with ≥10% BMB (n=257), median OS was longer for MD-CMML vs MP-CMML (19.4 vs 11.2 mo, P=0.0023) and for pts who received HMA vs never HMA (18.3 vs 7.0 mo, P<0.0001). Both MD-CMML (OS 21.7 vs 10.9 mo, p=0.0134; Fig E) and MP-CMML pts (15.6 vs 6.3 mo, P<0.0001; Fig F) benefited from HMA trt vs never HMA. In cohort 2, 1st line trts were HU (n=214), HMA (n=187) and others (n=85). Comparing HMA vs HU 1st line, median OS was 15.6 vs 14.5 mo (P=0.0307) and median TTNT was 8.8 vs 6.5 mo (P=0.0452; Fig G). OS and TTNT were comparable for HU vs other trts (Fig G). Similar observations were made in the larger cohort 1 (Fig H). Conclusions HMA show promising results with survival benefits of +11.4, +10.8 and +9.3 mo in pts with MP-CMML <10%, and MD- or MP-CMML ≥10% BMB. In MP-CMML pts fulfilling GFM-DAC-CMML trial inclusion criteria, survival and TTNT were longest in pts receiving HMA 1st line as compared to HU or other trts. Preceding HU portends poor prognosis (-10.2 mo). Disclosures Pleyer: Abbvie: Other: Advisory board; Novartis: Other: Advisory board; Inflection Point Biomedical Advisors: Other: Advisory board; Celgene: Other: Advisory board; Agios: Other: Advisory board. Leisch:Novartis: Honoraria, Other: Travel support; Bristol-Myers-Squibb: Honoraria; Celgene: Other: Travel support. Maciejewski:Alexion: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy. Kaivers:Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Other: Travel Support. Heibl:Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Daiichi Sankyo: Honoraria; Mundipharma: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Geissler:Novartis: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Abbvie: Honoraria; AstraZeneca: Honoraria; AOP: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Pfizer: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Ratiopharm: Honoraria. Valent:Blueprint: Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria; Deciphera: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Medina de Almeida:Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Speakers Bureau. Jerez:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria. Germing:Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria. Sekeres:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Millenium: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Syros: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. List:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Symeonidis:Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; MSD: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; Tekeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Sanz:AbbVie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Boehringer-Ingelheim: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Helsinn Healthcare: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Hoffman - La Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen - Cilag: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Onconova: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Greil:Boehringer Ingelheim: Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel/accomodation expenses, Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel/accomodation expenses, Research Funding; Janssen-Cilag: Honoraria; Mundipharma: Honoraria, Research Funding; Merck: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Eisai: Honoraria; Genentech: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel/accomodation expenses, Research Funding. OffLabel Disclosure: Azacitidine is not approved for the treatment of MP-CMML or CMML with <10% BM blasts, decitabine is not approved for treatment of CMML in the EU, hydroxyurea is not approved for the treatment of CMML in the EU