Can Anti-Inflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab Prevent Diabetes?

In a secondary analysis of CANTOS, canakinumab did not affect diabetes incidence, but its cardiovascular benefit was similar in patients with and without diabetes.

Inflammation has long been hypothesized to play a causal role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and may also play a role in insulin resistance and development of diabetes. To explore the effects of anti-inflammatory treatment on diabetes incidence, investigators examined data from the manufacturer-funded CANTOS trial of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) inhibition with canakinumab in patients with prior myocardial infarction (MI) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels of ≥2 mg/L (NCT01327846; NEJM JW Cardiol Oct 2017 and N Engl J Med 2017; 377:1119).

Of 10,061 participants, 40.3% had diabetes at baseline. Compared with placebo, canakinumab significantly reduced major cardiovascular event rates in patients with diabetes (hazard rati…

Reviewing Author

Karol E. Watson, MD, PhD, FACC

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBoehringer Ingelheim; Amgen; Novartis; Lilly; Amarin

Speaker’s BureauBoehringer Ingelheim

Grant/Research SupportNIH

Editorial BoardsCirculation (Associate Editor)