A analysis workforce led by the Division of Drugs, below the College of Scientific Drugs, LKS College of Drugs of the College of Hong Kong (HKUMed), has synergised impacts of worldwide medical trial information by a collection of meta-analyses on GLP‑1 receptor agonists, an rising cardiometabolic drug, providing in-depth insights into its security profile and novel therapeutic potential in treating cardiovascular ailments. The research discovered that there was no particular threat of ischaemic optic neuropathy related to GLP-1 agonist use in sufferers with diabetes or coronary heart ailments. It additionally revealed that cardiac sufferers with weight problems might enhance the long-term success charge of healing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation by adopting numerous weight-control measures, together with applicable remedy. These findings will assist frontline clinicians carry out extra complete threat‑profit assessments earlier than prescribing drugs.
Information from over 80,000 sufferers present no vital optic nerve threat from GLP‑1 remedy
GLP-1 receptor agonists are an rising class of therapeutics for treating weight problems, diabetes and cardiometabolic ailments. As their medical use continues to develop, considerations about their potential unwanted side effects have emerged. Earlier analysis indicated a attainable hyperlink between GLP-1 receptor agonists and ischaemic optic neuropathy, a severe ocular complication that may trigger sudden, painless imaginative and prescient loss and visible subject defects, significantly amongst people with diabetes and hypertension. Nonetheless, proof relating to this threat has remained inconsistent and at occasions conflicting.
In view of this, HKUMed performed a meta-analysis to judge the security profile and therapeutic potential of GLP-1 receptor agonists. The workforce analysed world medical trial information comprising greater than 80,000 sufferers with diabetes and coronary heart illness, representing the biggest pattern dimension examined on this subject thus far. The findings confirmed no vital affiliation between the usage of GLP-1 receptor agonists and the danger of opposed vision-threatening problems, offering clearer proof for formulating medical remedy plans and enabling docs to comprehensively assess the advantages and dangers of those drugs.
Built-in weight administration and medicine enhance surgical success
Weight problems will increase the danger of creating cardiovascular ailments, similar to atrial fibrillation (AF), which is the most typical cardiac arrhythmia encountered in medical apply and may end up in life-threatening problems, together with stroke and coronary heart failure. In one other research, the workforce analysed information from 5,415 sufferers with atrial fibrillation and located that for people with weight problems, each 1% discount in weight was related to a 6.3% discount within the relative threat in AF recurrence after catheter ablation. This highlights that sustained weight management is a important think about operative success.
Cardiac sufferers with weight problems might enhance the long-term success charge of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation although a holistic strategy to weight management, together with adopting a more healthy way of life and incorporating different medical interventions, along with GLP-1 receptor agonists. Optimum remedy outcomes require sufferers to undertake a complete cardiovascular threat administration technique, reasonably than relying solely on remedy.
The findings had been revealed within the newest problem of Diabetes Care, which is the journal of the American Diabetes Affiliation, and had been offered on the European Coronary heart Rhythm Affiliation Congress in Vienna in 2025.
Information‑pushed insights assist docs consider new medicine
Lead investigator Dr Will Chan Yap-hang, Scientific Assistant Professor, Division of Drugs, College of Scientific Drugs, HKUMed, stated, ‘Our meta‑evaluation of medical trial information supplies essential proof relating to each the security profile and novel use of GLP-1 receptor agonists in cardiovascular sufferers. This may assist docs extra comprehensively consider the potential dangers and advantages of prescribing these drugs. Nonetheless, this analysis doesn’t fully rule out the potential of uncommon opposed problems. Clinicians should train cautious judgement based mostly on every affected person’s situation. It’s important to not overemphasise the potential advantages whereas overlooking the related dangers, and to all the time assess the state of affairs holistically.’
Concerning the analysis workforce
This interdisciplinary research was co-led by Dr Will Chan Yap-hang, Scientific Assistant Professor, and Professor Tse Hung-fat, Chair Professor and Division Chairperson, each from the Division of Drugs, College of Scientific Drugs, HKUMed. The primary writer is Ms Kathleen Li Hoi-ying. Different workforce members embody Professor Yiu Kai-hang, Scientific Professor, Division of Drugs, and Dr Kendrick Co Shih, Scientific Affiliate Professor of Follow, Division of Ophthalmology, each from the College of Scientific Drugs, HKUMed.
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