Abstract
The cardiometabolic and renal benefits of glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists, and their relatively good safety profile, have rightly positioned them as a candidate for combination therapy in people with type 2 diabetes after metformin in most contemporary management algorithms.
Key Points
- Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists are injectable therapies that exploit endogenous hormonal blood glucose control for people with diabetes.
- GLP-1 agonists have body weight and blood pressure benefits in addition to lowering blood glucose concentrations.
- Some of the analogues in the class have shown reductions in cardiovascular disease and renal benefits in placebo-controlled intervention trials.
- There have been no safety concerns in the intervention trials using GLP-1 agonists, but upper gastrointestinal side effects may limit tolerability in some patients.
