Wegovy cuts risk of serious heart problems by 20%, study finds

health

by taylor knight

Obesity drug Wegovy can reduce the risk of severe heart disease by 20%, a major study has found, paving the way for applications far beyond weight loss.

“We’re moving from a type of therapy that reduces weight to a therapy that reduces cardiovascular events,” said Dr. Michael Linkoff, lead author of the study and a heart expert at the Cleveland Clinic.

Results of the large clinical trial were presented Saturday at the American Heart Association’s conference in Philadelphia. Published in New England Journal of Medicine.

The study was paid for by Wegovy and Ozempic manufacturer Novo Nordisk and involved more than 17,600 participants from 41 countries.

The patient was over 45 years old, had pre-existing cardiovascular disease and a BMI over 27, but had no history of diabetes.

Half of the patients received weekly Wegovy or placebo injections, and participants were followed for an average of more than three years.

569 people, or 6.5% of those given the drug, had a heart attack, stroke or died from heart-related causes, compared with 701 (8%) of those who received the dummy injection.

Wegovy participants lost about 10% of their body weight on average and maintained their weight loss over the course of the study.

Dr. Martha Gulati, a heart specialist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, noted that Wegobee patients also saw improvements in inflammation, cholesterol, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure.

“For me, the way this drug works means it’s not just about losing weight,” said Gulati, who was not an author of the study.

It is unclear whether these results are due to weight loss or the drug itself.

Novo Nordisk asked the Food and Drug Administration to include cardiac benefits on Wigovy’s label, similar to Ozempic’s.

Wegovy is a high-dose version of Ozempic that has been shown to reduce the risk of serious heart disease in people with diabetes. This new study is groundbreaking because it focuses on people without diabetes.

Participants in the latest study reported serious side effects that have been associated with these types of obesity drugs since the beginning.

Nearly 17% of people on Wegovy discontinued treatment due to “adverse events” such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, compared to 8% of those in the placebo group.

“Ozempic’s finger”, “Ozempic’s burp”, “Ozempic’s butt”, “Ozempic’s face”, and strange dreams about celebrities are among the negative aspects reported by users in recent months.

Prices are high, too, with monthly costs ranging from about $1,300 for Wegovy to about $1,000 for Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, a version of the diabetes drug Mounjaro that the FDA approved last week for weight management.

These drugs are often not covered by private health insurance or have strict prior authorization requirements when applicable.

with post wire