A pharmacist-led, population health-based intervention resulted in clinically meaningful and long-term improvements in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and blood pressure (BP) in Black, Hispanic, and Asian patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes (T2D). The data were presented at the American Heart Association’s (AHA) 2025 Scientific Sessions on November 9 in New Orleans, LA.1
The Role of Hypertension in Type 2 Diabetes
Hypertension is a crucial factor impacting T2D outcomes in countless patients. Research shows that individuals without controlled BP despite hypotensive treatment face a heightened risk of diabetes development. Independent of obesity or vascular disease, systolic BP can be a predictor of T2D development, especially among middle-aged adults.2
Elevated BP can worsen outcomes in patients with T2D. Not only is there a high prevalence, with about 50% to 80% of patients with T2D harboring constantly elevated BP, but the coexistence of each disease correlates with a 6-fold increase of cardiovascular events. Specifically, hypertension in patients with T2D is associated with a 57% increased risk of any cardiovascular event and a 72% increased risk of all-cause death.2,3
Pharmacists are in a pivotal position to aid patients in achieving their BP goals. They can participate in a more intensive approach to BP lowering, such as identification of elevated BP and the management and control of hypertension. Pharmacists are particularly effective at monitoring patients’ medication use, helping them avoid drug interactions, and alerting them regarding possible adverse events (AEs).4
How Was the Investigation Designed?
Significant disparities in hypertension care exist in patients with T2D from minority racial and ethnic groups. In the current investigation, the authors initiated a pharmacy-led approach in conjunction with population health support in a tertiary academic medical center. They sought to identify high-risk Hispanic, Asian, and Black patients with T2D and hypertension and target these individuals—utilizing clinical pharmacists—to manage, titrate, and monitor antidiabetic and antihypertensive pharmacotherapy.1
Individuals were identified based on a diagnosis of T2D, their most recent A1c value, the presence of hypertension, and the presence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). A pharmacist gained the patient’s medical provider’s permission to engage the patient in pharmacist-driven medication management following identification. It included initiation and titration of antidiabetic and antihypertensive medications as needed. They would also elucidate the benefits of covered medications, facilitate prior authorizations, and assess medication adherence and persistence to ensure patient compliance and continued access to therapy.1
The program ran from October 2022 to March 2025. The study’s primary outcomes included HbA1c values and VP values both prior to and following the pharmacist-led management program.1
What Did the Investigators Find?
A total of 335 patients were enrolled in the study period. The population included 204 (61%) Black, 108 (32%) Hispanic, and 23 (7%) Asian patients. Over the 30-month study period, average HbA1c was reduced by 0.54%, average systolic BP was reduced by 15.3 mmHg, and average diastolic BP was reduced by 8.9 mmHg.1
For patients who began the program harboring a high HbA1c of 9 or greater (n = 148), there was an average HbA1c reduction of 1.3%. Patients diagnosed with ASCVD (n = 127) experienced a 71% relative increase in patients prescribed glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors following a pharmacist’s intervention.1
An average of 5 encounters with a pharmacist per patient were reported. This demonstrates the continued and thorough follow-up and monitoring employed by pharmacists in this setting and indicates the value of integrating their services more broadly in hypertension and diabetes care. The results are especially salient for minority populations; integrating pharmacists into these settings could close the prominent gaps that currently exist among these patients towards achieving optimal care.1
REFERENCES1. Doyle J, Haftel E, Monroe J, et al. A pharmacist-led, population health approach to optimizing care in patients with hypertension and type II diabetes mellitus in at-risk populations. Presented: American Heart Association 2025 Scientific Sessions; November 9, 2025; Ernest N. Morial Convention Center; New Orleans, Louisiana. Accessed on American Heart Association’s Virtual Platform on November 10, 2025.2. Przezak A, Bielka W, Pawlik A. Hypertension and type 2 diabetes—the novel treatment possibilities. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(12):6500. doi:10.3390/ijms231265003. Chen G, McAlister FA, Walker RL, et al. Cardiovascular outcomes in Framingham participants with diabetes: The importance of blood pressure. Hypertension. 2011;57(5). doi:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.110.1624464. Carter BL, Zillich AJ, Elliott WJ. How pharmacists can assist physicians with controlling blood pressure. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2007;5(1):31-37. doi:10.1111/j.1524-6175.2003.01460.x