Once prescribed for diabetes and obesity, GLP-1 drugs are now entering cardiology with evidence of cardiovascular benefits. The shift raises a key question — who truly stands to gain from them?
After glucose control and weight loss, GLP-1 drugs are now emerging as potential heart medicines with recent global trials showing they can lower chances of heart attacks and strokes in high-risk patients. In India, where diabetes, obesity, and premature heart disease frequently overlap, cardiologists are increasingly discussing these drugs with patients. Dr Aftab Khan , consultant cardiologist at Apollo Multispeciality Hospitals, Kolkata, tells Umesh Isalkar which patients should consider these drugs first, and why they can complement but not replace proven therapies and lifestyle changes.