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The weight-loss drug Wegovy reduces the danger of experiencing or dying from occasions like coronary heart assaults and strokes by 20 p.c in folks with weight problems and preexisting coronary heart illness, in keeping with outcomes from a late-stage medical trial printed in The New England Journal of Medication.
For the examine, scientists randomly assigned 17,604 folks with weight problems and coronary heart illness to obtain weekly injections, of both a 2.4 milligram dose of Wegovy or a placebo, for nearly three years on common. By the tip of the examine, 579 folks on Wegovy died of cardiovascular causes or skilled issues like coronary heart failure, coronary heart assaults, and strokes, in contrast with 701 folks within the placebo group — which means Wegovy diminished this threat by 20 p.c.
“That is the primary weight administration remedy to point out that it will probably cut back this threat on high of the entire different therapies sufferers take for heart problems,” says lead examine creator A. Michael Lincoff, MD, of the division of cardiovascular drugs on the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
Wegovy, like the kind 2 diabetes drug Ozempic, comprises the energetic ingredient semaglutide. These medicine are in a household of medicines generally known as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists, which work by mimicking the motion of a hormone that makes folks really feel full.
Most sufferers within the examine have been taking aspirin in addition to medicine generally known as statins, Lincoff says. Each of those medicines may also help cut back the danger of coronary heart assaults and strokes.
Wegovy Does Greater than Assist in Weight Loss
With Wegovy, folks misplaced a median of 9.4 p.c of their physique weight by the tip of the examine. Nevertheless, researchers noticed enhancements in a number of markers of cardiovascular threat like blood stress, blood sugar, and irritation quickly after members began taking the drug.
This means that the advantages of Wegovy come from each weight reduction and from results of the drug which are impartial of how a lot weight folks lose, says Robert Kushner, MD, a professor and director of the Middle for Way of life Medication on the Northwestern Feinberg College of Medication who wasn’t concerned within the new examine.
“We all know that weight reduction improves a number of cardiovascular threat components, comparable to hypertension, elevated blood sugar, and irregular blood fat,” Dr. Kushner says. “As well as, semaglutide has weight impartial results comparable to diminished irritation within the physique, improved vascular tone and kidney perform. The mixture of those results yields diminished cardiovascular occasions.”
One limitation of the examine is that it solely included folks with preexisting heart problems. Which means the outcomes can’t clarify whether or not Wegovy may stop occasions like coronary heart assaults or strokes in folks with none historical past of heart problems.
“Wegovy is especially priceless for sufferers with chubby and weight problems with earlier historical past of heart problems, however that doesn’t indicate that it’s priceless for major prevention of heart problems,” says Osama Hamdy, MD, PhD, medical director of the weight problems medical program at Joslin Diabetes Middle and an affiliate professor at Harvard Medical College in Boston.
It could take an extended trial that features sufferers with and with out a historical past of heart problems to find out whether or not Wegovy may play a task in stopping this situation, says Dr. Hamdy, who wasn’t concerned within the new examine.
FDA Contemplating Approving Wegovy to Decrease Coronary heart Illness Dangers
It’s additionally not clear from the examine outcomes whether or not Wegovy can be useful for stopping coronary heart issues in folks with out chubby, weight problems, or diabetes. Presently the drug is simply authorised for sort 2 diabetes, or for folks with chubby or weight problems.
The U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing an added approval for Wegovy as remedy for decreasing the danger of heart problems, and should subject a call inside six months, CNBC reported on November 2.
One other unanswered query from the examine is whether or not sufferers with weight problems and heart problems may get coronary heart well being advantages from one other GLP-1 drug, Zepbound, which simply gained FDA approval for continual weight administration.
Zepbound, like the kind 2 diabetes drug Mounjaro, comprises the energetic ingredient tirzepatide. These medicine containing tirzepatide goal two hormones — glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) — which are concerned in sustaining wholesome blood sugar ranges and sending alerts of satiety from the intestine to the mind.
“I anticipate the cardiovascular outcomes to be extra spectacular with the mixed GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonists, not solely due to the upper magnitude of weight reduction by tirzepatide, but additionally as a result of GIP receptor agonist has a potent impact on lipid profile,” Hamdy says, referring to levels of cholesterol. Analysis is underway to evaluate the cardiovascular advantages of Zepbound, Hamdy provides.
“Proper now, now we have knowledge to help the good thing about Wegovy in sufferers with weight problems and former historical past of heart problems, which is but to be confirmed in response to Zepbound,” Hamdy says.
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