ASH: GLP-1 RA Use Tied to Lower Rate of Venous Thromboembolism in Diabetes
THURSDAY, Nov. 14, 2024 -- For patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) use is associated with a lower risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE), according to a study scheduled for presentation at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, to be held from Dec. 9 to 12 in San Diego.
Cho Han Chiang, M.D., from Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and colleagues examined whether GLP-1 RA use would reduce the risk for VTE among patients with T2DM in a retrospective, propensity score-matched multicenter database analysis. Patients who received GLP-1 RAs were compared to those who received dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors; after propensity score matching, the final analysis included two cohorts of 168,428 patients each.
The researchers found that the incidence of VTE was 11.0 versus 12.9 events per 1,000 patient-years in the GLP-1 RA and DPP-4 inhibitor cohorts, respectively, with an 18 percent lower risk for VTE for those receiving GLP-1 RAs (hazard ratio [HR], 0.82). Compared with those on DPP-4 inhibitors, patients receiving GLP-1 RAs had a lower risk for pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis (HRs, 0.78 and 0.85, respectively). In a subgroup analysis, the differences in VTE rates were similar for patients with and without obesity (HRs, 0.80 and 0.82, respectively).
"These results support the hypothesis that use of GLP-1 RA can lead to a reduction in VTE risk," the authors write. "Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms and causality underlying the association between GLP-1 RA use and reduction of VTE risk, and whether these findings extend to patients using GLP-1 RA for weight control without T2DM."
Two authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Read this next
GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Tied to Reduced Mortality in Patients With Psoriasis
TUESDAY, Sept. 30, 2025 -- Patients with psoriasis treated with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) have better long-term outcomes compared with those taking...
Diabetes Tied to Doubled Risk for Sepsis
FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2025 -- People living with type 2 diabetes experience double the risk for incident sepsis versus matched individuals without diabetes, according to a study...
Clinical Practice Guidelines Issued for Diabetes Distress
THURSDAY, Sept. 25, 2025 -- The first clinical practice guidelines on assessment and management of diabetes distress among adults were presented at the annual meeting of the...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.