A high-profile clinical trial of the obesity drug Wegovy has raised hopes that it may also deliver significant cardiovascular benefits beyond weight loss.
The trial, funded by Wegovy’s maker Novo Nordisk, found that the use of the injected drug semaglutide led to a significant reduction in heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular deaths among overweight and obese patients with a history of heart disease.
“As obesity increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, it is reassuring to see that the [study] showed that semaglutide can help reduce this risk,” Thomas So, who holds a doctorate in pharmacology and is a senior manager of Consumer Drug Information Group at First Databank, told The Epoch Times.
Largest Ever Obesity Drug Trial
The trial was a large, double-blind, placebo-controlled study designed to assess the cardiovascular benefits of the drug in overweight and obese patients with preexisting heart disease but not diabetes.Conducted from October 2018 to June 2023, the trial involved over 17,500 participants.
The trial is a “long-term commitment” to people living with obesity. It is the largest one conducted in the company’s history, according to Michelle Skinner Moore, who has a doctorate in pharmacology and is the CardioRenal therapy area head of medical affairs at Novo Nordisk.
The high rates of cardiovascular disease in obese populations demonstrate an unmet patient need for treatment options, she said in a press statement, describing the findings as a “turning point” in obesity research.
How Semaglutide Cut Cardiac Risk Still Unclear
Researchers found that a weekly injected 2.4-milligram dose of semaglutide reduced mortality from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal heart attack (myocardial infarction), or nonfatal stroke by 20 percent during an average follow-up of about 40 months.According to trial data, adverse events leading to permanent discontinuation of trial participation occurred in 1,461 patients in the drug group and 718 patients in the placebo group.
While the trial shows an association between semaglutide and reduced cardiac events, whether this stems from weight loss or another mechanism remains unconfirmed.
“It remains unclear to what degree the trial findings were dependent on weight loss, concomitant reductions in risk factors, or other salutary mechanisms of GLP-1 receptor agonism,” the authors of the editorial noted.
Trial ‘Important News’ for Appropriate Patients: Doctor
For patients currently taking or considering taking semaglutide, the trial results are “important news” that add additional evidence and support for prescribing semaglutide, Dr. Jessica Folek, director of bariatrics at Northwell Long Island Jewish Forest Hills in New York, told The Epoch Times.“We have known for quite some time now, based on multiple prior studies, the cardiovascular benefits of GLP-1 agonist meds on improving cardiovascular outcomes in patients with diabetes, in the range of about 15 percent,” she said.
Shortages, Risks Amid Rising Off-Label Use for Weight Loss
The popularity of GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide for weight loss has led to supply shortages, affecting the diabetes patients they were initially intended for, according to Mr. So.“The FDA has recently had the manufacturer for these drugs add information related to the risk of severe gastrointestinal side effects, including ileus or bowel blockage,” he added. “Some of these case reports have been fatal.”
By slowing stomach emptying, GLP-1 drugs also pose anesthesia-related risks like regurgitation and aspiration pneumonia, an infection of the lungs, in surgery, Mr. So added.
There “should always” be a discussion between a patient and their physician regarding the risks and benefits of this drug class when used for diabetes or weight loss, he said.
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