title: Cardiovascular safety of liraglutide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
abstract: Liraglutide is a GLP-1 RA that is an option for treatment of T2DM. Typical of all new glucose-lowering agents, its CV safety profile is of great interest. Areas covered: This article outlines the efficacy of the GLP-1 RA liraglutide from RCTs, moving through the pivotal phase 3 LEAD trials, and subsequent meta-analyses to assess CV safety. This review describes evolution of regulatory requirements to obtain safety information through dedicated CVOTs. Expert opinion: Since the FDA mandated that CV outcomes for new diabetes therapies should be assessed via a dedicated CVOT, opinion of their utility in T2DM evolved from cynicism through to enthusiasm. In LEADER, liraglutide became the second modern glucose-lowering agent to demonstrate significant CV benefit. CVOTs are now providing important answers, highlighting the CV benefits of modern glucose-lowering agents, but also raising several questions, notably whether the effects seen with liraglutide and empagliflozin are class-effects or are unique to these molecules. Furthermore it is unknown if these results in patients with high CV risk are applicable to all patients with T2DM, and should be incorporated into new treatment guidelines. In our view it's prudent to suggest that CVOT findings cannot currently be extrapolated to the whole T2DM population.
authors.affiliation: a Singleton Hospital , Swansea UK.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Chudleigh
authors.affiliation: a Singleton Hospital , Swansea UK.|b Institute of Life Science, Swansea University , UK.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bain
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005960:Glucosides / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000069450:Liraglutide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D000097789:Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists
chemical_list: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D001786:Blood Glucose; D005960:Glucosides; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D000069450:Liraglutide; C570240:empagliflozin; D000097789:Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists
keywords: LEADER; Type 2 diabetes; liraglutide; safety