Long-Term Medication Adherence Tied to Lower Cardiovascular Event Rate in Type 2 Diabetes

TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Greater long-term medication adherence among adults with type 2 diabetes is linked to fewer cardiovascular events, according to a study published in the September issue of The Lancet Regional Health: Europe.

Lise B. Nielsen, from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, and colleagues assessed long-term medication adherence in real-world settings among 79,510 adults with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes who initiated noninsulin glucose-lowering medication between 2005 and 2012.

The researchers identified three long-term adherence trajectories: high (41 percent), intermediate (33 percent), and low (26 percent) adherence. During 10 years of follow-up, compared with the high-adherence group, the risk for the composite cardiovascular outcome was increased with lower adherence (intermediate adherence: adjusted hazard ratio, 1.07; low adherence: adjusted hazard ratio, 1.27). Patients with high adherence remained free of cardiovascular events for an average of 220 days longer over 10 years. Risk was largely driven by ischemic heart disease, with no significant associations for heart failure. 

“These findings show that health systems need to move beyond checking medication habits once or twice a year,” Nielsen said in a statement. “Having access to medicine does not automatically mean a person can take it every day, so tracking habits over the long term could help doctors spot vulnerable patients before a major heart event happens.”

The study was funded, in part, by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

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