A Deeper Understanding of GLP-1 Mechanism of Action Will Open Doors for Future Uses

The data are indisputable: across multiple phase 3 clinical trials, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies not only lead to weight loss, but can also confer protective effects against conditions such as cardiovascular and kidney diseases. For weight loss, GLP-1 medications suppress appetite and induce satiety; for cardiovascular disease, the mechanisms of action remain unknown.

“I think we still don’t completely understand how these drugs modify cardiovascular risk, particularly the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events,” said Ambarish Pandey, MD. Pandey, an associate professor of cardiology in internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, sat down with Drug Topics ahead of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology Congress on CVD Prevention. The annual Congress was held August 2 through August 4 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“Much more needs to be done to better understand [if] there are direct benefits of these therapies with reducing or mitigating cardiovascular risk,” Pandey added.

As the understanding of the GLP-1 mechanism of action in cardiovascular disease expands, Pandey believes that clinical guidelines will evolve as well. “I think we will see stronger indications for using these medications in individuals with prevalent cardiovascular disease,” he said. Clinical research has found evidence of the efficacy of semaglutide in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, “and I think there’s increasing evidence that they [GLP-1s] may actually have a lot of value in reducing the risk of adverse cardiovascular events in individuals with prevalent cardiovascular disease.

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