GLP-1 drugs may help prevent type 2 diabetes and lower the risk of heart attack and stroke in people diagnosed with prediabetes more effectively than the current standard medication, according to data to be reported at the AHA meeting.
Researchers reviewed medical records of more than 256,000 adults with prediabetes and obesity, about half of whom were taking the GLP-1 medications semaglutide, tirzepatide, liraglutide or dulaglutide. Semaglutide and liraglutide are Novo Nordisk diabetes drugs sold as Ozempic and Victoza, respectively.
Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide and dulaglutide are sold under the brand names Mounjaro and Trulicity for diabetes.
The other half were taking metformin, a gold-standard generic medication prescribed for prediabetes.
During the three-year study period, patients taking GLP-1s had a 50% higher chance of reversing high blood sugar to normal levels, a 31% lower risk of developing full-blown type 2 diabetes, and a 41% lower risk of death from any cause, compared to patients taking metformin.
GLP-1 medications were also associated with 15% fewer heart attacks, 20% fewer strokes, 25% fewer cases of heart failure and 8% fewer cases of the irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation that can increase stroke risk fivefold, according to a brief summary, or abstract,, opens new tab of the study.
“This research may add to the case for considering GLP-1 medications earlier for certain patients, rather than waiting until they develop type 2 diabetes,” study leader Dr. Vinicius de Sousa Barzon Serra of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, said in a statement.
The benefits are likely related to weight loss, which is known to help prevent type 2 diabetes, Dr. Robert Eckel, a past president of the American Heart Association who wasn’t involved in the study, said in a statement.
Metformin is still a first-line treatment choice that’s safe, inexpensive and has a long track record, Serra said.
