Beyond the Numbers: The New Frontier of Diabetes Medication

That changed everything. We started asking the drugs to prove not only they lower the blood sugar, but that they also protect the heart and the kidneys and they save lives. Some classes did that exactly and others simply did not. And in fact, what was required earlier was to show that those drugs do not harm the heart. And then suddenly there was a trial that came out called LEADER trial, and that was from liraglutide or the drug called Victoza. And what it showed was not only did it not hurt the heart, it also improved the outcomes. So suddenly we all started thinking about we're are not only not hurting, but some people who are taking certain medication are doing better. They're protecting the heart. So two patients can reach the same A1C. One walks away with a medication shown to lower the heart and the kidneys, while the others walk away with only lower blood sugars. Same lab report and completely different future. That is most important thing to understand about the modern diabetes care.