Exenatide Study of Cardiovascular Event Lowering Trial (EXSCEL): A Trial To Evaluate Cardiovascular Outcomes After Treatment With Exenatide Once Weekly In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Summary

This study will compare the impact of including exenatide once weekly in addition to usual care vs. usual care without exenatide on major cardiovascular outcomes as measured by the primary composite endpoint of cardiovascular-related death, nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI), or nonfatal stroke.

Timeline

Start

2010-06-18

Primary completion

2017-04-21

Completion

2017-04-24

Publications

• Umapathysivam MM, Araldi E, Hastoy B, Dawed AY, Vatandaslar H, Mayrhofer JE, Lindquist P, Silva PN, Goga A, Trullinger GO, Godbersen S, Sengupta S, Kaufmann A, Thomsen SK, Hartmann B, Chen YC, Jonsson AE, Kabakci H, Thaman S, Grarup N, Have CT, Pallo LP, Faerch K, Gjesing AP, Nawaz S, Cheeseman J, Neville MJ, Pedersen O, Walker M, Sun H, Jennison C, Hattersley AT, Rehfeld JF, Holman RR, Verchere BC, Hansen T, Karpe F, Holst JJ, Rosenkilde MM, Jones AG, Ristow M, McCarthy MI, Pearson ER, Stoffel M, Gloyn AL. Type 2 diabetes risk alleles in peptidyl-glycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase influence GLP-1 levels and response to GLP-1 receptor agonists. Genome Med. 2026 Mar 29;18(1):40. doi: 10.1186/s13073-026-01630-0.
• Natale P, Green SC, Tunnicliffe DJ, Pellegrino G, Toyama T, Strippoli GF. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists for people with chronic kidney disease and diabetes. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2025 Feb 18;2(2):CD015849. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD015849.pub2.
• Koychev I, Reid G, Nguyen M, Mentz RJ, Joyce D, Shah SH, Holman RR. Inflammatory proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease reduced by a GLP1 receptor agonist: a post hoc analysis of the EXSCEL randomized placebo controlled trial. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2024 Oct 2;16(1):212. doi: 10.1186/s13195-024-01573-x.
• Oulhaj A, Aziz F, Suliman A, Eller K, Bentoumi R, Buse JB, Al Mahmeed W, von Lewinski D, Coleman RL, Holman RR, Sourij H. Estimated glomerular filtration rate slope and risk of primary and secondary major adverse cardiovascular events and heart failure hospitalization in people with type 2 diabetes: An analysis of the EXSCEL trial. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2024 Oct;26(10):4602-4612. doi: 10.1111/dom.15817. Epub 2024 Jul 31.
• Gao N, Dakin HA, Holman RR, Lim LL, Leal J, Clarke P. Estimating Risk Factor Time Paths Among People with Type 2 Diabetes and QALY Gains from Risk Factor Management. Pharmacoeconomics. 2024 Sep;42(9):1017-1028. doi: 10.1007/s40273-024-01398-4. Epub 2024 Jun 26.
• Davis TME, Giczewska A, Lokhnygina Y, Mentz RJ, Sattar N, Holman RR; EXSCEL Study Group. Effect of race on cardiometabolic responses to once-weekly exenatide: insights from the Exenatide Study of Cardiovascular Event Lowering (EXSCEL). Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2022 Jun 27;21(1):116. doi: 10.1186/s12933-022-01555-z.
• Becker F, Dakin HA, Reed SD, Li Y, Leal J, Gustavson SM, Wittbrodt E, Hernandez AF, Gray AM, Holman RR. Lifetime cost-effectiveness simulation of once-weekly exenatide in type 2 diabetes: A cost-utility analysis based on the EXSCEL trial. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2022 Jan;183:109152. doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2021.109152. Epub 2021 Nov 20.
• Bethel MA, Stevens SR, Buse JB, Choi J, Gustavson SM, Iqbal N, Lokhnygina Y, Mentz RJ, Patel RA, Ohman P, Schernthaner G, Lecube A, Hernandez AF, Holman RR. Exploring the Possible Impact of Unbalanced Open-Label Drop-In of Glucose-Lowering Medications on EXSCEL Outcomes. Circulation. 2020 Apr 28;141(17):1360-1370. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.043353. Epub 2020 Feb 26.
• Standl E, Stevens SR, Lokhnygina Y, Bethel MA, Buse JB, Gustavson SM, Maggioni AP, Mentz RJ, Hernandez AF, Holman RR; EXSCEL Study Group. Confirming the Bidirectional Nature of the Association Between Severe Hypoglycemic and Cardiovascular Events in Type 2 Diabetes: Insights From EXSCEL. Diabetes Care. 2020 Mar;43(3):643-652. doi: 10.2337/dc19-1079. Epub 2019 Dec 27.
• Reed SD, Li Y, Dakin HA, Becker F, Leal J, Gustavson SM, Kartman B, Wittbrodt E, Mentz RJ, Pagidipati NJ, Bethel MA, Gray AM, Holman RR, Hernandez AF; EXSCEL Study Group. Within-Trial Evaluation of Medical Resources, Costs, and Quality of Life Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Participating in the Exenatide Study of Cardiovascular Event Lowering (EXSCEL). Diabetes Care. 2020 Feb;43(2):374-381. doi: 10.2337/dc19-0950. Epub 2019 Dec 5.
• Badjatiya A, Merrill P, Buse JB, Goodman SG, Katona B, Iqbal N, Pagidipati NJ, Sattar N, Holman RR, Hernandez AF, Mentz RJ, Patel MR, Jones WS. Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Peripheral Artery Disease: Results From the EXSCEL Trial. Circ Cardiovasc Interv. 2019 Dec;12(12):e008018. doi: 10.1161/CIRCINTERVENTIONS.119.008018. Epub 2019 Nov 22.
• Clegg LE, Penland RC, Bachina S, Boulton DW, Thuresson M, Heerspink HJL, Gustavson S, Sjostrom CD, Ruggles JA, Hernandez AF, Buse JB, Mentz RJ, Holman RR. Effects of exenatide and open-label SGLT2 inhibitor treatment, given in parallel or sequentially, on mortality and cardiovascular and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes: insights from the EXSCEL trial. Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2019 Oct 22;18(1):138. doi: 10.1186/s12933-019-0942-x.
• Fudim M, White J, Pagidipati NJ, Lokhnygina Y, Wainstein J, Murin J, Iqbal N, Ohman P, Lopes RD, Reicher B, Holman RR, Hernandez AF, Mentz RJ. Effect of Once-Weekly Exenatide in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus With and Without Heart Failure and Heart Failure-Related Outcomes: Insights From the EXSCEL Trial. Circulation. 2019 Nov 12;140(20):1613-1622. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.041659. Epub 2019 Sep 23.
• Bethel MA, Patel RA, Thompson VP, Merrill P, Reed SD, Li Y, Ahmadi S, Katona BG, Gustavson SM, Ohman P, Iqbal N, Gagel RF, Hernandez AF, Buse JB, Holman RR; EXSCEL Study Group. Changes in Serum Calcitonin Concentrations, Incidence of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma, and Impact of Routine Calcitonin Concentration Monitoring in the EXenatide Study of Cardiovascular Event Lowering (EXSCEL). Diabetes Care. 2019 Jun;42(6):1075-1080. doi: 10.2337/dc18-2028. Epub 2019 Apr 22.
• Mentz RJ, Bethel MA, Merrill P, Lokhnygina Y, Buse JB, Chan JC, Felicio JS, Goodman SG, Choi J, Gustavson SM, Iqbal N, Lopes RD, Maggioni AP, Ohman P, Pagidipati NJ, Poulter NR, Ramachandran A, Reicher B, Holman RR, Hernandez AF; EXSCEL Study Group. Effect of Once-Weekly Exenatide on Clinical Outcomes According to Baseline Risk in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Insights From the EXSCEL Trial. J Am Heart Assoc. 2018 Oct 2;7(19):e009304. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.118.009304.
• Wittbrodt ET, Eudicone JM, Bell KF, Enhoffer DM, Latham K, Green JB. Generalizability of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist cardiovascular outcome trials enrollment criteria to the US type 2 diabetes population. Am J Manag Care. 2018 Apr;24(8 Suppl):S146-S155.
• Holman RR, Bethel MA, Mentz RJ, Thompson VP, Lokhnygina Y, Buse JB, Chan JC, Choi J, Gustavson SM, Iqbal N, Maggioni AP, Marso SP, Ohman P, Pagidipati NJ, Poulter N, Ramachandran A, Zinman B, Hernandez AF; EXSCEL Study Group. Effects of Once-Weekly Exenatide on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2017 Sep 28;377(13):1228-1239. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1612917. Epub 2017 Sep 14.
• Mentz RJ, Bethel MA, Gustavson S, Thompson VP, Pagidipati NJ, Buse JB, Chan JC, Iqbal N, Maggioni AP, Marso SP, Ohman P, Poulter N, Ramachandran A, Zinman B, Hernandez AF, Holman RR. Baseline characteristics of patients enrolled in the Exenatide Study of Cardiovascular Event Lowering (EXSCEL). Am Heart J. 2017 May;187:1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2017.02.005. Epub 2017 Feb 12.
• Holman RR, Bethel MA, George J, Sourij H, Doran Z, Keenan J, Khurmi NS, Mentz RJ, Oulhaj A, Buse JB, Chan JC, Iqbal N, Kundu S, Maggioni AP, Marso SP, Ohman P, Pencina MJ, Poulter N, Porter LE, Ramachandran A, Zinman B, Hernandez AF. Rationale and design of the EXenatide Study of Cardiovascular Event Lowering (EXSCEL) trial. Am Heart J. 2016 Apr;174:103-10. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2015.12.009. Epub 2015 Dec 21.
• Gaebler JA, Soto-Campos G, Alperin P, Cohen M, Blickensderfer A, Wintle M, Maggs D, Hoogwerf B, Han J, Pencek R, Peskin B. Health and economic outcomes for exenatide once weekly, insulin, and pioglitazone therapies in the treatment of type 2 diabetes: a simulation analysis. Vasc Health Risk Manag. 2012;8:255-64. doi: 10.2147/VHRM.S28744. Epub 2012 Apr 23.

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