Comparison of cardiac adverse event signal profiles for GLP-1 receptor agonists: an analysis of the FAERS database
- 1Department of Cardiology, Aliaga State Hospital, Izmir, Türkiye
- 2Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Türkiye
Abstract
Purpose: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are widely used in the management of type 2 diabetes owing to their effectiveness in glycemic control and weight reduction. Given the increasing use of GLP-1RAs, further research is warranted to better understand their cardiac effects.
Methods: Individual Case Safety Reports from the U. S. Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System database from July 6, 2007, to February 17, 2026, were evaluated for the post-marketing cardiac adverse events associated with dulaglutide, liraglutide, semaglutide, and tirzepatide. To detect signal differences among drugs, disproportionality analysis was conducted using the Proportional Reporting Ratio (PRR) and Reporting Odds Ratio (ROR) methods, along with standard statistical tests to evaluate categorical variables and to estimate odds ratios.
Results: A total of 7,023 cardiac adverse events were identified among 305,877 reports. GLP-1RAs were associated with a higher reporting frequency of tachyarrhythmias than bradyarrhythmias. In the 65–85-year age group, an increase in the signal for cardiac events was observed. Pairwise post hoc comparisons demonstrated no statistically significant differences in reporting frequency of cardiac events between semaglutide and liraglutide, whereas all other drug pairs demonstrated statistically significant differences.
Conclusion: Semaglutide and liraglutide had higher relative reporting of cardiac events whereas tirzepatide had lower PRR and ROR values against the total background of reports. These findings suggest a lower reporting tendency of cardiac events for tirzepatide. This study may assist healthcare professionals in recognizing the frequency of cardiac events associated with GLP-1RA use and drive new hypotheses to clarify underlying mechanisms.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12872-026-06387-3.
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BibTeX
@article{yildirim2026comparison,
title = {{Comparison of cardiac adverse event signal profiles for GLP-1 receptor agonists: an analysis of the FAERS database}},
author = {Burak Ogulcan Yildirim and Ibrahim Furkan Sarkim and Gizem Yalman and Bugra Arslantas and Can Berk Celik and Sahin Yildirim},
journal = {BMC Cardiovascular Disorders},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12872-026-06387-3},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12872-026-06387-3},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Comparison of cardiac adverse event signal profiles for GLP-1 receptor agonists: an analysis of the FAERS database
AU - Burak Ogulcan Yildirim
AU - Ibrahim Furkan Sarkim
AU - Gizem Yalman
AU - Bugra Arslantas
AU - Can Berk Celik
AU - Sahin Yildirim
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - BMC Cardiovascular Disorders
DO - 10.1186/s12872-026-06387-3
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12872-026-06387-3
AB - Purpose: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are widely used in the management of type 2 diabetes owing to their effectiveness in glycemic control and weight reduction. Given the increasing use of GLP-1RAs, further research is warranted to better understand their cardiac effects. Methods: Individual Case Safety Reports from the U. S. Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System database from July 6, 2007, to February 17, 2026, were evaluated for the post-marketing cardiac adverse events associated with dulaglutide, liraglutide, semaglutide, and tirzepatide. To detect signal differences among drugs, disproportionality analysis was conducted using the Proportional Reporting Ratio (PRR) and Reporting Odds Ratio (ROR) methods, along with standard statistical tests to evaluate categorical variables and to estimate odds ratios. Results: A total of 7,023 cardiac adverse events were identified among 305,877 reports. GLP-1RAs were associated with a higher reporting frequency of tachyarrhythmias than bradyarrhythmias. In the 65–85-year age group, an increase in the signal for cardiac events was observed. Pairwise post hoc comparisons demonstrated no statistically significant differences in reporting frequency of cardiac events between semaglutide and liraglutide, whereas all other drug pairs demonstrated statistically significant differences. Conclusion: Semaglutide and liraglutide had higher relative reporting of cardiac events whereas tirzepatide had lower PRR and ROR values against the total background of reports. These findings suggest a lower reporting tendency of cardiac events for tirzepatide. This study may assist healthcare professionals in recognizing the frequency of cardiac events associated with GLP-1RA use and drive new hypotheses to clarify underlying mechanisms. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12872-026-06387-3.
SN - 1471-2261
ER -