According to expert presenters at the American Society of Preventive Cardiology’s 2025 Congress on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, recent studies have shown significant benefit to GLP-1 inhibitors in cardiovascular care, The American Journal of Managed Care reported August 3.
Here are eight takeaways from the report:
1. Vinita Aroda, MD, director of diabetes clinical research at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Mass., described two decades of progress in GLP-1 therapies, starting with Exenatide BID. Early patients experienced about 2 pounds of weight loss and improved blood glucose levels. In 2019, oral semaglutide demonstrated sustained efficacy, ushering in a “new wave” of treatment.
2. A 2024 meta-analysis found that patients taking GLP-1s had lower odds of major adverse cardiac events and all-cause mortality — outcomes typically expected after 12 years of treatment.
“We’re starting to see an earlier separation that occurs that can ask the question of whether there’s something special about these agents,” Dr. Aroda said.
3. Dr. Aroda said tirzepatide and semaglutide led to weight loss and improvement in heart failure symptoms in patients with Type 2 diabetes and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction — showing potential beyond cardiovascular health.
4. She emphasized that clinicians should discuss GLP-1 medications with patients in terms of long-term health goals, including reducing heart and kidney disease risk. She also noted the importance of staying hydrated to help reduce muscle resistance after starting the medication.
5. Darren McGuire, MD, a distinguished teaching professor of medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, encouraged cardiologists to prescribe GLP-1s more often. He noted that despite a decade of data, most U.S. cardiology clinics prescribe these drugs at low rates.
“These are now unequivocally endorsed as level 1a cardiovascular medications,” he said.
6. Dr. McGuire discussed a trial showing oral semaglutide reduced hospitalizations for acute and chronic limb ischemia. Another trial found all-cause mortality was 16% lower among tirzepatide users compared with those taking dulaglutide.
7. A third study found tirzepatide reduced the cumulative incidence of cardiovascular death or heart failure events over 136 weeks, with separation in outcomes visible by week 24,
8. Researchers continue exploring GLP-1 use for treating kidney disease, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and metabolic-associated liver disease — all of which have cardiovascular implications.
