Direct comparison of the effects of liraglutide and dulaglutide on the dynamics of scales and markers of hepatic fibrosis

Abstract

Objective. Comparison of the effects of liraglutide and dulaglutide on the dynamics of scales and markers of hepatic fibrosis.Materials and methods. 35 patients with NAFLD were included in the study and received liraglutide 1.8 mg or dulaglutide 1.5 mg once daily for 6 months.Results. Body weight and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) decreased significantly and comparable after 6 months of treatment in both groups. Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels decreased only in the dulaglutide group. The decrease in the AST level in the dulaglutide group was from 31.9 ± 26.8 to 30.8 ± 10.6 U / L (p = 0.04). The dynamics of the risk of fibrosis reached statistical significance only when assessed on the FIB-4 scale in the liraglutide group when comparing the baseline values and values after 6 months of treatment — 1.18 ± 0.51 and 0.97 ± 0.40, respectively (p = 0.022). In the dulaglutide group, there was also an insignificant positive dynamics of 1.31 ± 0.53 and 1.11 ± 0.23 (p = 0.865), which can be explained by the minimal severity of changes at baseline.Conclusions. The study demonstrated comparable effects of liraglutide and dulaglutide on metabolic parameters and, at the same time, the advantage of liraglutide in influencing the dynamics of the risk of fibrosis, assessed on the FIB-4 scale. To unequivocally confirm the benefits of liraglutide in the treatment of patients with NAFLD, randomized prospective comparative studies of various aGPP1 on large samples of patients with different stages of NAFLD are needed.