Comparing newer versus older diabetes medicines for heart and kidney health
Official title: Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Newer and Older Antihyperglycemic Medications
Funded at St. Louis VA Medical Center · NIH-11322509 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project compares newer diabetes medicines (SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP‑1 drugs) with older options to see which are safer and more helpful for adults with type 2 diabetes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | St. Louis VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (St. Louis, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | July 1, 2021 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| NIH project number | 5I01HX003252-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11322509 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with type 2 diabetes who are considering or recently started a second-line blood‑sugar medication, especially veterans or patients with varying cardiovascular risk or kidney function.
✕Less likely to help
People without type 2 diabetes (for example those with type 1 diabetes), children, and pregnant people are not the focus and likely won't benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
Researchers will analyze medical records from VA patients and other real-world data to compare outcomes for people who start newer drugs (SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP‑1 receptor agonists) versus older second-line drugs (DPP‑4 inhibitors and sulfonylureas). They will follow heart and kidney outcomes such as heart attack, stroke, and worsening kidney disease as well as track adverse events. Comparisons will be made across people with different levels of cardiovascular risk and different stages of kidney function. The study uses routine-care data to reflect how these medicines perform outside of randomized trials and to help guide treatment choices.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help doctors choose diabetes medicines that better protect the heart and kidneys while lowering the chance of harmful side effects.
How similar studies have gone: Large randomized trials have shown SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP‑1 agonists reduce cardiovascular events versus placebo, but direct head‑to‑head comparisons with older drugs in routine clinical care are less common.
Where this research is happening
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St. Louis VA Medical Center
St. Louis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Al-Aly, Ziyad — St. Louis VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Al-Aly, Ziyad
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.