Given the role of incretin hormones in regulation of postprandial glucose metabolism, there has been increasing interest in developing therapeutics that promote incretin function for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. Early clinical studies have demonstrated that administration of GLP-1 receptor agonists improve glycaemic control and promote weight loss with associated benefits in metabolic parameters and cardiovascular risk in the setting of both type 2 diabetes and obesity. Development of new therapeutics that target dual and triple incretin hormones appear to produce greater metabolic benefit, while their influence on cardiovascular risk is being evaluated in large clinical trials. The evidence from these clinical trials and implications for clinical practice will be reviewed.