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SGLT2 Inhibitor or Metformin as Standard Treatment of Early Stage Type 2 Diabetes

A Multicenter, Register-based, Randomized, Controlled Trial Comparing Dapagliflozin With Metformin Treatment in Early Stage Type 2 Diabetes Patients by Assessing Mortality and Macro- and Microvascular Complications

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03982381
Acronym
SMARTEST
Enrollment
2067
Registered
2019-06-11
Start date
2019-09-05
Completion date
2026-01-31
Last updated
2026-03-04

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Type 2 Diabetes

Brief summary

A real-world, nationwide, register-based, randomised trial (RRCT) comparing SGLT2 inhibitors with metformin as standard treatment in early typ 2 diabetes. An open-label trial addressing efficacy with respect to clinically important macro- and microvascular events.

Detailed description

2067 type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients on monotherapy or drug naive. Randomization 1:1, metformin, dosing according to treatment guidelines or SGLT2 inhibitor, dapagliflozin 10 mg od. 844 events estimated for study completion (90% power to detect hazard ratio (HR) \<0.8 for dapagliflozin vs metformin ) Endpoint collection during study duration (about 4 years) from national health care registers: Patient, Prescribed drugs, Cause of death and Population registers; National diabetes register (NDR) Primary analysis according to insulin tolerance test (ITT)

Interventions

DRUGMetformin

Active comparator

DRUGDapagliflozin 10 MG

Experimental treatment

Sponsors

Uppsala University
Lead SponsorOTHER
Uppsala University Hospital
CollaboratorOTHER
Swedish Healthcare Regions
CollaboratorUNKNOWN
National Board of Health and Welfare, Sweden
CollaboratorOTHER_GOV
The Swedish National Diabetes Register
CollaboratorUNKNOWN

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Masking description

Treatment is blinded to outcome analysis team, until after database lock

Intervention model description

Prospective randomized, open label, blinded endpoint design (PROBE). Multicenter study.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Men and women ≥18 years old * T2D (according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria) of less than 4 years duration * BMI 18.5-45 kg/m2 * Drug naïve or oral monotherapy with glucose-lowering drug. * Accepting NDR participation and other register data collection.

Exclusion criteria

* Known or suspected other form of diabetes than type 2 * Ongoing or more than \>4 weeks in total of any previous treatment with: insulin, GLP-1 receptor agonists, SGLT2 inhibitors or combination of any diabetes medications * Medical need to start or intensify any specific GLD treatment, e.g. insulin due to marked hyperglycemia * HbA1c \>70 mmol/mol for patients on monotherapy, \>80 in drug naïve * Contraindication to either metformin or dapagliflozin, or any unacceptable risk with either treatment as assessed by the investigator * History or signs of established cardiovascular disease: diagnosis of myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, heart failure, stroke, lower extremity arterial disease, any limb amputation (except due to trauma or malignancy) * Any serious illness or other condition with short life expectancy (\<4 yr) * Renal impairment (eGFR \<60 ml/min/1,73m2) * Any condition, as judged by the investigator, that suggests that the patient will be non-compliant or otherwise unsuitable to study medication or study participation * Pregnancy or breastfeeding, women of childbearing potential (WOCBP; including perimenopausal women who have had a menstrual period within 1 year) without adequate anticonception during any part of the study period * Involvement in the planning and/or conduct of the study * Ongoing participation in another clinical trial.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Time to first occurence of a confirmed composite endpoint of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy or foot ulcer.Time to first event during study period (for each patient 24-48 months, mean 36 months )A confirmed composite endpoint includes death, myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy or foot ulcer (ICD10 diagnosis codes)

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Ordinal analysis of components of primary endpoint (see above)Events of any of above having occurred during 48 months following randomization.Death, major adverse cardiovascular event or microvascular event at 2 years follow-up (ICD10 diagnosis codes), scored according to severity as specified in statistical analysis plan.
Time to first occurence of a confirmed composite endpoint of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy or foot ulcer (ICD10 diagnosis codes) or initiation of insulin treatment.Time to first event during study period (for each patient 24-48 months, mean 36 months )A confirmed composite endpoint includes death, myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy or foot ulcer (ICD10 diagnosis codes) or initiation of insulin treatment (filled prescription according to Swedish Prescribed Drug Register)
Time to first occurence of a confirmed composite endpoint of non-fatal myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, unstable angina or cardiovascular death.Time to first event during study period (for each patient 24-48 months, mean 36 months )A confirmed composite endpoint includes non-fatal myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, unstable angina or cardiovascular death (ICD10 diagnosis codes).
Time to first occurence of a confirmed composite endpoint of heart failure or cardiovascular death.Time to first event during study period (for each patient 24-48 months, mean 36 months )A confirmed composite endpoint includes heart failure or cardiovascular death (ICD10 diagnosis codes)
DeathTime to event during study period (for each patient 24-48 months, mean 36 months)Time to death (Population Register data)
Microvascular events, first of; occurrence or progression of retinopathy, nephropathy, diabetic foot lesionsTime to first event during study period (for each patient 24-48 months, mean 36 months )Time to first event of: occurrence or progression of retinopathy, nephropathy, diabetic foot ulcers (ICD10 diagnosis codes)
Need for insulin treatmentTime to first event during study period (for each patient 24-48 months, mean 36 months )Time to initiation of insulin treatment (filled prescription according to Swedish Prescribed Drug Register)
Treatment failure, defined as add-on or switch to another glucose-lowering drugTime to first event during study period (for each patient 24-48 months, mean 36 months )Time to event of: add-on or switch to another glucose-lowering drug (filled prescription according to Swedish Prescribed Drug Register)
Change in glycemic controlChange during study period, at 12, 24, 36 and 48 monthsHbA1c level (mmol/mol)
Change in LDL-cholesterolChange during study period; assessment at baseline, 12, 24, 36 and 48 monthsChange in LDL cholesterol from baseline (mmol/L)
Change in HDL-cholesterolChange during study period; assessment at baseline, 12, 24, 36 and 48 monthsChange in HDL cholesterol from baseline (mmol/L)
Change in total cholesterolChange during study period; assessment at baseline, 12, 24, 36 and 48 monthsChange in total cholesterol from baseline (mmol/L)
Change in triglyceridesChange during study period; assessment at baseline, 12, 24, 36 and 48 monthsChange in triglycerides from baseline (mmol/L)
Change in albuminuriaChange during study period; assessment at baseline, 12, 24, 36 and 48 monthsChange in urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (mg/mol)
Change in blood pressureChange during study period; assessment at baseline, 12, 24, 36 and 48 monthsChange in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg)
Change in body weightChange during study period; assessment at baseline, 12, 24, 36 and 48 monthsChange in body weight (kg)
Change in BMIChange during study period; assessment at baseline, 12, 24, 36 and 48 monthsChange in BMI (kg/m2)
Health care costsAccumulated health care costs during study period (for each patient 24-48 months, mean 36 months )Diagnosis-based (IDG) costs for all health care during study period plus medication cost
Health-related quality of lifeAssessment at baseline, 12, 24 monthsThe Short Form 36-Item Survey version 1.0 (SF-36) is used for patient-reported health and consists of 36 questions. The weighted sums of scores in each of eight defined domains (relating to experience of different aspects of general health, symptoms and functions) are compiled into different scales according to a standardized algorithm. Each scale is directly transformed into a 0-100 scale on the assumption that each question carries equal weight. The lower the score the more disability. The higher the score the less disability, i.e. a score of zero is equivalent to maximum disability and a score of 100 is equivalent to no disability. We use the public domain version, called the the RAND-36 Item Health Survey.
Health-related quality of life with respect to diabetes treatment satisfaction.Assessment at baseline, 12, 24 monthsThe Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ) is used. It has been developed to assess patient satisfaction with diabetes treatment. The questionnaire is composed of two different factors. The first factor assesses treatment satisfaction and consists of six questions and the second factor consists of two questions, which assess the burden from hyper- and hypoglycemia. Treatment satisfaction is assessed as the sum of the scores of the six questions on the first factor (total score 36), with a higher score indicating higher treatment satisfaction.

Countries

Sweden

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORJan Eriksson, MD

Uppsala University

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 5, 2026