The Incretin Revolution in Cardiology

Within a decade, incretin mimetics have evolved from blood-sugar-lowering diabetes medications into one of the most dynamic classes of drugs in cardiovascular medicine. GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1-RA) have been shown to lower the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and hospitalizations for heart failure, reduce albuminuria, and slow the decline in eGFR—and increasingly, these benefits extend beyond diabetes. With oral semaglutide, an oral agent with proven cardiovascular benefits is entering the scene for the first time, accompanied by the first large-scale data set on heart failure in type 2 diabetes. And the next generation—triple agonists such as retatrutide—is already on the horizon.