Aug. 8, 2023 – Issues within the coronary heart and blood vessels corresponding to coronary heart assaults and strokes had been diminished 20% amongst sufferers taking the favored however costly weight reduction drug Wegovy, in keeping with a trial of greater than 17,000 folks with obese or weight problems who additionally had heart problems.
The discovering ought to gasoline improved affected person entry to this drug, a weight reduction agent that has traditionally been hindered by skepticism amongst U.S. medical insurance firms who now might even see broader well being advantages than simply the therapy of obese and weight problems.
Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk launched the research outcomes this morning. The research discovered that individuals who acquired 2.4-milligram photographs of semaglutide (whose model identify is Wegovy) confirmed a major 20% discount in heart-related deaths, coronary heart assaults, or strokes.
The corporate stated semaglutide therapy additionally considerably diminished how typically every of those points occurred.
The outcomes additionally confirmed a degree of security and affected person tolerance for weekly photographs that had been according to prior reviews. The FDA accepted semaglutide as Wegovy in 2021 for weight reduction, and as Ozempic, with a most dose of two.0 milligrams, for blood sugar management in folks with sort 2 diabetes. Semaglutide belongs to a category of medicine referred to as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists.
‘A Good Consequence for Sufferers’
“The highest line outcomes … are thrilling as stopping coronary heart assaults and stroke with a drug that additionally lowers weight is essential for a lot of sufferers, particularly if the information additionally present, as I believe they’ll, a significant enchancment of high quality of life for sufferers as a consequence of related weight reduction,” stated Naveed Sattar, PhD, a professor of metabolic medication on the College of Glasgow in Scotland who was not concerned with the research.
“This can be a good outcome for sufferers,” stated Sattar, who additionally famous that “we have no idea to what extent the load loss results of semaglutide, versus its different direct results on blood vessels or the center, account for the 20% discount in cardiovascular occasions, and extra information are wanted to attempt to work this out.”
Regardless of this lack of readability over the position weight reduction itself performed in driving the outcomes, the findings problem a long-standing prejudice in opposition to the medical necessity and security of weight reduction medication when used for the only level of serving to folks shed some pounds.
Altering How Weight problems Is Regarded
“Thus far, there are not any accepted weight administration drugs confirmed to ship efficient weight administration whereas additionally decreasing the danger of coronary heart assault, stroke or cardiovascular dying,” Martin Holst Lange, MD, PhD, govt vp for improvement at Novo Nordisk, stated within the firm’s information launch.
A number of of the early medical choices for aiding weight reduction had substantial adversarial results, together with elevated main points within the coronary heart and blood vessels, a historical past that led to a variety of warning amongst medical doctors over the protection of anti-obesity brokers and the knowledge of utilizing medically aided weight reduction to supply well being advantages.
This perspective additionally helped dampen medical insurance protection of weight reduction remedies. For instance, Medicare has a long-standing coverage in opposition to reimbursing the price of drugs which are used for weight reduction, and a 2003 federal regulation prohibited Half D plans from offering this protection.
In keeping with the Novo Nordisk announcement, there will likely be a full report on outcomes from the trial at a scientific assembly later this yr.
