Which glucose-lowering drugs are best for reducing heart attack and stroke risk?

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International
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

Different types of glucose-lowering drugs for type 2 diabetes have different impacts on your chances of having a heart attack or stroke, according to international research which found GLP-1 receptor agonists such as Ozempic or Mounjaro were generally linked to the highest reduction in risk. The team looked at heart attacks, strokes and heart-related deaths among nearly 300,000 type 2 diabetes patients in the US using one of four classes of diabetes drugs; sulfonylureas, DPP4is, SGLT2is, and GLP-1RAs. The researchers say Sodium-Glucose Transport 2 (SGLT2) Inhibitors such as Forxiga and Jardiance had the second-highest protective effect, with the difference between these drugs and GLP-1RAs mostly relevant for older people and those with heart failure or kidney problems.

Media release

From: JAMA

About The Study: In this study, major adverse cardiovascular event risk varied significantly by medication class, with most protection achieved with sustained treatment with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) followed by sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is), sulfonylureas, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors. The magnitude of benefit of GLP-1RAs over SGLT2is depended on baseline age, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart failure, and kidney impairment. These results, along with consideration of cost, availability, and collateral clinical benefits, may inform treatment decisions for adults with type 2 diabetes.

Journal/
conference:
JAMA Network Open
Research:Paper
Organisation/s: Kaiser Permanente Northern California, USA
Funder: This study was supported through award DB-2020C2-20318 from PCORI, with additional support from grant P30DK092924 from the NIDDK Health Delivery Systems Center for Diabetes Translational Research.
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