Popular Diabetes Rx May Not Treat Heart Failure

Liraglutide (brand name Victoza), a medication currently used to treat type 2 diabetes, may not be as beneficial in those with heart failure than earlier studies have reported.

A group of medications known as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists, currently used treat type 2 diabetes, had shown some benefit to patients with advanced heart failure in early studies. But, in a new study, researchers found that patients taking the GLP-1 agonist liraglutide showed no significant improvement in heart structure and function, activity tolerance, or preventing rehospitalization or death.

"The results indicate that while liraglutide acted as intended, controlling blood sugar and promoting weight loss in diabetic participants, there was not a significant impact on heart failure. Interestingly, liraglutide had no effect on blood sugar or weight loss among the non-diabetic patients in the study," said lead researcher Kenneth B. Margulies, MD, a professor of medicine and research director for heart failure and transplantation, in a press release.

These researchers followed 300 participants for six months after hospitalization for heart failure.

This study was published in JAMA. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute funded this research. Information on potential conflicts of interest was not available at the time of publication.