Home Cardiology Liraglutide Not Tied to Higher Risk of Cardiovascular Events

Liraglutide Not Tied to Higher Risk of Cardiovascular Events

Findings based on post hoc analysis of phase 2 and 3 clinical trials

FRIDAY, Oct. 13, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Liraglutide treatment for weight management is not associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events, according to a study published online Sept. 26 in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.

Melanie J. Davies, M.D., from the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted post hoc analysis using data from 5,908 participants in five randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials of liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist approved for weight management, in order to assess cardiovascular risk.

The researchers found that with liraglutide (3.0 mg), eight participants had positively adjudicated cardiovascular events (1.54 events/1,000 person-years), compared to 10 participants in the comparators group (3.65 events/1000 person-years). Compared to the non-liraglutide group, the hazard ratio for 3.0 mg liraglutide treatment was 0.42 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.17 to 1.08).

“In this analysis, liraglutide 3.0 mg treatment was not associated with excess cardiovascular risk,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Novo Nordisk, which manufactures liraglutide and sponsored the trials.

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