The effect of sodium‐glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and glucagon‐like peptide 1 agonists on cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes

Patients with type 2 diabetes have a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to the general population—with CVD accounting for two out of every three deaths in patients with diabetes. In 2008, the FDA suggested that CVD risk should be evaluated for any new antidiabetic therapy, leading to a multitude of large CVD outcome trials to assess CVD risk from these medications. Interestingly, several of these outcome trials with new novel antidiabetic therapies have demonstrated a clear and definite CVD advantage at mid‐term follow up in high‐risk patients with T2DM. In this review, we discuss two relatively new classes of diabetic drugs, sodium‐glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and glucagon‐like peptide 1 agonists, and their efficacy in improving cardiovascular outcomes.