Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity (Jul 2021)
Cardiovascular Safety and Superiority of Anti-Obesity Medications
Abstract
Muath Alobaida,1,* Abdullah Alrumayh,1,* Ayodipupo S Oguntade,2 Faez Al-Amodi,3 Mwango Bwalya3 1Department of Basic Sciences, Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz College for Emergency Medical Services, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 2Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; 3Institute of Cardiovascular Science, University College London, London, UK*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Muath Alobaida; Abdullah AlrumayhDepartment of Basic Science, Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz College for Emergency Medical Services, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaEmail [email protected]; [email protected]: Over the past few decades, several anti-obesity medications have demonstrated an association with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, leading to their market withdrawal. This has caused researchers to investigate the cardiovascular safety of such medications in cardiovascular outcome trials. However, the data from these trials are limited, and their outcomes are not promising. Therefore, the aim of this review is to provide an overview of the current and past Food and Drug Administration-approved medications for weight loss, including novel diabetes medications (glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists and sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors) and non-diabetes medications, and to highlight the current designs of cardiovascular outcome trials and their importance in the evaluation of the overall safety concerns associated with these anti-obesity medications. The limitations of the trials and opportunities for improvement were also evaluated. Finally, we also briefly describe cardiovascular safety and risks in this review.Keywords: anti-obesity medication, cardiovascular diseases, cardiovascular outcome trials, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, obesity therapy
