[Cardiovascular safety of incretin-based antidiabetic treatment - results of completed clinical trials].

Several randomized, controlled clinical trials were initiated some years ago in order to evaluate the cardiovascular safety of the new antidiabetic drugs in patients with type 2 diabetes due to requirements from regulatory bodies. Four trials with incretin-based drugs (saxagliptin, alogliptin, sitagliptin and lixisenatide) have been completed so far. Based on the primary outcome endpoints of these trials no cardiovascular risks were found with incretins in patients with type 2 diabetes. As for saxagliptin, the hospitalization for heart failure was investigated as a secondary endpoint, and an increased risk was observed in the respective trial; however, this observation was widely debated later in the literature. Together with ongoing trials of other novel antihyperglycemic agents, these data will provide more robust evidence about the cardiovascular safety of incretin-based antidiabetic treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes.