An Overview of the Burden of Illness and the Role of Once-Weekly Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a debilitating condition and more people are being diagnosed each year. T2D increases patients' risk of developing disabling micro- and macrovascular complications, significantly reduces patients' quality of life, and is a substantial global economic burden. The efficacy and safety of antihyperglycemic therapies have improved over the years and have increased the lifespan for these patients. Consequently, patients are living longer with the condition and the associated comorbidities, but with a lowered quality of life. Therefore, therapies should aim to provide both optimal glycemic control and improve quality of life. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) therapy improves glycemic control, reduces body weight, and has a low risk for hypoglycemia. GLP-1 RAs are available as once-daily (OD), twice-daily (BD), or once-weekly (OW) injectable formulations; OW injections may increase patients' satisfaction and improve treatment adherence. In the last decade, concern has been raised about the cardiovascular (CV) safety of antihyperglycemic therapies. Clinical data have been limited on CV outcomes among OW GLP-1 RAs. However, a post hoc analysis of the SUSTAIN-6 trial suggested that semaglutide, the most recently US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved OW GLP-1 RA therapy, may offer cardioprotection, addressing this previously unmet clinical need.