Incretin-Based Therapies for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: Evaluation of the Risks and Benefits

Limited evidence suggests that GLP-I may also preserve ventricular function and improve outcomes in human subjects with heart failure or myocardial infarction (11,12). [...] both exenatide and liraglutide reduce blood pressure, body weight, and plasma lipid profiles in subjects with type 2 diabetes (13), raising the hope that longterm treatment with these agents may reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events.\n However, two safety issues have been raised - pancreatitis and medullary carcinoma of the thyroid.