Liraglutide (Victoza) may reduce cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetics, according to a new study. In a double-blind trial, 9,340 patients were randomized to liraglutide or matching placebo and followed for an average of 3.8 years. The primary outcome was time to first occurrence of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke. The primary outcome occurred in 13% of the liraglutide group and 14.9% of the placebo group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.87; 95% confidence interval, 0.78-0.97; P < 0.01 for superiority). Fewer patients died from cardiovascular disease (HR, 0.78) and death from any cause (HR, 0.85) in the liraglutide group. Gastrointestinal events were the most common side effect with liraglutide, but interestingly, the incidence of pancreatitis was lower with the drug. The authors concluded that the rate of the first occurrence of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was lower with liraglutide than with placebo (N Engl J Med. Published online June 13, 2016. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1603827).
The rate of the first occurrence of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was lower with liraglutide than with placebo.
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