Expert: Prediabetes Prevention Reduces Complications, Improves Long-Term Outcomes

In an interview with Pharmacy Times, Niels Lund, MSc, MBA, vice president for climate change and health at Novo Nordisk and study investigator, emphasized that preventing progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes can substantially reduce long-term cardiovascular, renal, and ophthalmic complications while improving quality of life and longevity—outcomes that pharmacists can actively support through risk factor management and patient education. Building on study findings that he authored, Lund explained that effective prevention requires a dual focus on patient-driven lifestyle modifications and clinical control of cardiometabolic parameters, including glycemia, blood pressure, and lipid levels.

For pharmacists, the study reinforces the importance of prioritizing comprehensive cardiovascular risk reduction alongside glucose management. Lund highlighted that maintaining control of modifiable risk factors is associated with significantly lower rates of macrovascular complications such as heart failure, stroke, and kidney disease—events that typically emerge years after diabetes onset but carry substantial consequences for morbidity, mortality, and health system resource utilization. He noted that communicating the long-term benefits of prevention, including extended life expectancy and improved quality of life, may help patients remain engaged in sustained disease management efforts.

Although the analysis did not directly evaluate medication-specific adherence strategies, Lund underscored that maintaining glycemic and cardiometabolic control is consistently associated with fewer complications and reduced resource use. He suggested that future research should evaluate how specific therapeutic approaches and care models can further enhance prevention and long-term management.

Lund also emphasized broader implications for health systems, noting that effective chronic disease prevention and management not only improve patient outcomes but also reduce environmental impact through decreased demand for complication-related care. He encouraged continued research across therapeutic areas and health systems to better quantify the clinical and sustainability benefits of optimized chronic disease management, reinforcing the pharmacist’s role in prevention, monitoring, and patient engagement.