A new analysis suggests that the GLP-1 receptor agonist Mounjaro could significantly lower heart attack and overall cardiovascular risk in people with type 2 diabetes and established heart disease, prompting calls for further research.
A large American analysis published in The BMJ suggests that Mounjaro could offer cardiovascular benefits for some people with type 2 diabetes and established heart disease, adding to growing evidence that GLP-1 medicines may do more than help with blood sugar control. The study, which looked at nearly 53,000 patients who started either tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro, or sitagliptin, found a 33% lower risk of heart attack among those given Mounjaro. Researchers also said the treatment appeared to reduce the overall risk of major cardiovascular events, a measure that includes heart attack, stroke and death from any cause.
After 1 year, major adverse cardiovascular events affected 2.9% of people taking Mounjaro, compared with 4.4% of those on sitagliptin. On that basis, the researchers estimated that one such event was prevented for every 70 patients treated. They reported no meaningful reduction in stroke alone, but said Mounjaro was linked to fewer hospital admissions for infections and fewer deaths from any cause, with one death avoided for every 122 patients treated.
Mounjaro is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, a class of drugs that has attracted intense interest because of possible benefits beyond weight loss and glucose control. The drug is already prescribed on the NHS for type 2 diabetes and severe obesity. The new findings come as other BMJ research has pointed in a similar direction for semaglutide, another GLP-1 medicine, which was linked to lower cardiovascular risk in people who were overweight or obese but did not have diabetes.
That broader pattern has led researchers to look more closely at whether these drugs may help protect the heart in selected high-risk patients, although the latest results do not amount to proof that Mounjaro prevents heart attacks on its own. As with other observational studies, the findings show an association rather than definitive cause and effect, but they add weight to the case for further trials and longer follow-up in patients most vulnerable to cardiovascular disease.
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