Pharmacological Prevention of Cardiovascular Outcomes in Diabetes Mellitus: Established and Emerging Agents

Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes. For this reason, there is a great deal of interest in determining how therapies commonly used to treat patients with diabetes impact cardiovascular outcomes. Results from recently completed cardiovascular outcomes trials of diabetes agents from several medication classes are leading to a sea change in how we think about diabetes treatment. The primary focus of this paper is to review recently completed and ongoing diabetes medication cardiovascular outcomes trials. We also review cardiovascular outcome evidence for other classes of medications commonly used in patients with diabetes (i.e., aspirin, anti-hypertensive agents, lipid-lowering agents, and weight loss medications).