Share this @internewscast.com

The weight loss drug Wegovy can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes by 20% in adults with heart disease and obesity, according to new research.

The trial is the first to show that a weight loss medication can help protect against serious heart problems in obese adults, potentially opening the door to a new treatment option for heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.

The findings could also have important implications for insurance coverage of the drugs. Currently, insurance companies are reluctant to provide coverage for weight loss drugs, and Medicare, by law, is barred from covering them.

“I think this will force insurance and Medicare to consider reimbursement,” said Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist and executive vice president of Scripps Research in California. 

The results were presented on Saturday at the 2023 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia and were simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine. 

“This is a pretty big deal,” said Dr. Michael Lincoff, the study’s lead author and a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic who presented the findings. “Just being overweight or having obesity is a risk factor for increased risk of heart disease, and yet we’ve had no treatment that addressed that specific risk factor.” 

The trial included more than 17,600 adults ages 45 and up with heart disease who got either a weekly 2.4-milligram dose of semaglutide, which is the drug used in Wegovy, or a placebo. About three-quarters of the participants were men.

All of the study participants were either overweight or obese but did not have diabetes. Patients who had a heart attack or stroke within the last 60 days were not allowed to enroll in the trial. 

After about three years of follow-up, there were cardiovascular events — such as heart attack, stroke or death linked to heart disease —  in 569 of participants in the Wegovy group, compared to 701 participants in the placebo group. That corresponds to a 20% lower risk in people who took Wegovy.

“That is significant,” said Dr. Amit Khera, the director of the preventive cardiology program at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Texas. Khera co-authored an editorial that was published Saturday alongside the study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

A new treatment option like Wegovy would be a big deal for people with heart disease, Khera said. One of the risk factors is overweight or obesity, which affects about 70% of the U.S. population.

“We finally have some treatments that are not only very effective for weight loss, but also seem to be very beneficial for heart disease,” he said.

The findings are even more significant because older weight loss medications, like phentermine or orlistat, have not been shown to protect against serious heart problems, said Dr. Susan Spratt, an endocrinologist and the senior medical director for the Population Health Management Office at Duke Health in North Carolina. One weight loss drug, fen-phen, was taken off the U.S. market in the late ‘90s because it was linked to serious heart problems.

“This is amazing evidence that semaglutide not only helps people with diabetes prevent devastating complications but also helps patients with obesity lose weight and avoid major adverse heart consequences,” said Spratt. (Semaglutide is also approved as a diabetes drug under the name Ozempic.)

Dr. Nishant Shah, a preventative cardiologist at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, said that researchers still don’t know exactly how the medication prevents serious heart problems in overweight patients. 

It could be the result of the weight loss itself or some other mechanism in the drug, Shah said.

“That question is under investigation right now,” he said. 

Lincoff, the study author, said that inflammation could potentially play a role. Inflammation can cause plaques in the arteries to rupture and form blood clots, leading to heart attacks and strokes. 

In the trial, Lincoff said, patients taking the drug saw reductions in inflammation that were similar to the reductions seen in patients on statins.

That is “pretty sizeable,” he said.

Topol, of Scripps Research, said that additional research is still needed on how well the drug lowers cardiovascular risk in patients with obesity who do not have heart disease. 

The Wegovy trial “was a very select group of patients because they all had heart disease,” he said. “We need a lot more work to find out if people who aren’t so high risk would benefit.”

Lincoff said additional analyses will be run over the next year, including looking at subgroups of patients, to understand exactly how the drug prevents heart problems and who could benefit.

“How much was through weight loss? How much was through the inflammation? How much was through the sugar control?” he said. 

Obesity is a public health issue, Khera said, and more work is needed to address issues around equity. 

“We also have to appreciate that these drugs are really expensive, and a lot of people will not be able to access them,” he said. “So as much as we’re looking at the drug, we still need to look upstream as to why we have obesity and downstream about people who can’t afford them.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Bears escape wildlife park enclosure and feast on week's worth of honey

Bears Break Free from Wildlife Park Enclosure and Enjoy Week-Long Honey Feast

In a scene reminiscent of “Winnie the Pooh,” two young bears that…
Russian Il-20 electronic intelligence aircraft in flight.

NATO Scrambles Jets to Intercept Russian Reconnaissance Plane Amid Kremlin’s Threats of ‘Direct’ Action Over Border Military Build-up

GERMAN fighter jets were dramatically scrambled to intercept a Russian spy plane…
Freak accident at the beach sends teen to ICU as mom warns of waterfront danger

Unexpected Beach Accident Lands Teen in ICU; Mother Cautions Against Shoreline Hazards

A teenager remains in intensive care after suffering severe injuries in a…
Mega Millions ticketholder wins record-breaking $348M jackpot in Virginia

Virginia Resident Wins Historic $348 Million Mega Millions Jackpot

Virginia is for winners. A Mega Millions participant in Virginia secured the…
Smoke and fire rising from a Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Ex-Defence Chief Warns: Putin Poses Greatest Threat to UK, Urges Increased Pressure to Prevent European Advance

RUSSIA’S economy must be drained to stop bloodthirsty Vladimir Putin invading other…
2 arrested at LA home linked to Iranian 'human smuggling hub': CBP

Two People Arrested at Los Angeles Home Tied to Iranian ‘Human Smuggling Operation’: CBP Reports

On Friday, federal officials apprehended two individuals at a Los Angeles residence…
Israel-Iran latest: Week of shifting descriptions of US attack on Iran spark ongoing questions about extent of damage, goals

Recent Developments in Israel-Iran Tensions: A Week of Changing Reports on US Strike Raises Questions About Damage and Objectives

WASHINGTON — One week after President Donald Trump authorized an attack on…
NYC, San Francisco and other US cities capping LGBTQ+ Pride month with a mix of party and protest

Cities across the US, including NYC and San Francisco, are concluding LGBTQ+ Pride month with both celebrations and demonstrations.

NEW YORK (AP) — LGBTQ+ Pride Month culminates with colorful celebrations as…
Funeral held for Adriana Smith, who gave birth while on life support

Adriana Smith, Who Gave Birth on Life Support, Honored at Funeral

Lawmakers, nurses and family paid tribute to Adriana Smith during her funeral…
ABC7 Chicago to celebrate 2025 Pride Parade with live broadcast Sunday; Tanja Babich, Hosea Sanders, Jason Knowles to host

ABC7 Chicago to Host Live Broadcast of 2025 Pride Parade This Sunday with Tanja Babich, Hosea Sanders, and Jason Knowles

CHICAGO (WLS) — ABC7 Chicago is set to air a live broadcast…
Shedeur Sanders already low on Browns' QB depth chart

Shedeur Sanders Drops Further Down Browns’ Quarterback List

It looks like Shedeur Sanders is finding himself in some struggles in…
Woman found dead in clothing donation box: Florida cops

Florida Authorities Investigate Woman Discovered Deceased in Donation Box

A homeless woman was discovered deceased in a clothing donation box in…