obesity drug reduces risk of heart attack

Researchers have found that anti-obesity jabs can reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes, or heart failure in heavier people, regardless of the amount of weight they lose while on the drug.

The largest and longest study of the obesity drug Wegoby has also shown people maintain significant weight loss for at least four years, with fewer serious adverse events than those given placebo “dummy” treatment.

Doctors say the findings will add pressure on UK health authorities, which currently limit treatment to just two years.

On average, they lost 10.2% of their body weight and 7.7cm from their waist size after four years.

Significantly, cardiovascular benefits were seen even in patients who only had mild obesity or lost only modest amounts of weight, according to results presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice and published in the journal Nature Medicine.

This suggests the treatment could have effects beyond reducing unhealthy body fat, researchers said.

Professor John Deanfield of University College London (UCL) used data from the Select trial

A team led by Professor John Deanfield of University College London (UCL) used data from the Select trial, which was conducted by semaglutide manufacturer Novo Nordisk.

Semaglutide, the active ingredient of Wegovy, is part of a growing class of GLP-1 drugs that make people feel full, reducing their calorie intake.

A five-year study explored whether the drug, sold under the brand names Wegovy, Ozempic, and Rybelsus, could reduce the risk of heart attacks or strokes in heavier person people without diabetes.

Dr. Simon Cork, a senior lecturer in physiology at Anglia Ruskin University, made the following statement: The study’s results indicate for the first time that patients can maintain a “weight plateau” if they continue treatment long-term.

“Importantly, one of the decisions by the UK health service to limit treatment to two years was because of questionable long-term cost effectiveness,” he said.

He added: “This data demonstrates improved cardiovascular and metabolic parameters for four years.” “This may go some way toward negating the argument.”

This study demonstrates that obesity is a lifelong condition. NICE’s decision to limit prescriptions for obesity treatment to two years is a disservice to patients.

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Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes trial

The SELECT (Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes) trial involved 17,604 adults who were heavier or overweight from 41 countries. None of them had diabetes, but all had previously had a heart attack, stroke or peripheral artery disease.

Over the first two years of the study, the proportion of people of higher weight in the Wegovy group decreased significantly. It fell from 71% to 43%.

But for those given placebo injections, the rate dropped only slightly, from 72% to 68%.

After three years of treatment, the risk of a heart attack was lower for participants. The risk of stroke or dying from cardiovascular disease was also reduced.

Professor Donna Ryan led a study at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans, USA. She noted that weight loss occurred regardless of age.Additionally, it occurred regardless of gender and ethnicity.

“This degree of weight loss in a large and diverse population suggests something significant.” She continued, “It may be possible to impact the public health burden of multiple obesity-related illnesses based on these findings.”

Our trial focused on cardiovascular events. Effective weight management can help manage chronic diseases. It can benefit various types of cancer, osteoarthritis, anxiety, and depression.

Results

The study showed that serious adverse events were less common in those given the drug than those given a placebo.

This was largely because people taking Wegovy were less likely to have cardiac disorders.

People taking the drug were more likely to have gallbladder stones. They were also more likely to stop getting treatment due to gastrointestinal problems, such as nausea and diarrhea.

A second analysis, led by UK researchers, showed cardiovascular benefits for patients with mild obesity. Patients who only lost modest amounts of weight also experienced these benefits.

Prof Deanfield said the findings had “important” clinical implications.

He said:Approximately half of the patients in my cardiovascular practice have equivalent weight levels to those in the SELECT trial. These patients are likely to benefit from taking semaglutide in addition to their usual level of care.

Our findings suggest that the impact of semaglutide treatment on magnitude is not dependent on. The amount of weight loss has no influence on the effect of semaglutide treatment in terms of magnitude.. This suggests that semaglutide has other actions to lower cardiovascular risk beyond reducing unhealthy body fat, said Dr. Benn.

These alternative mechanisms may have positive impacts on blood sugar, blood pressure, or inflammation. They may also directly affect the heart muscle and blood vessels. In some cases, a combination of these effects may occur.

However, the researchers warn that there isn’t yet evidence that the treatment prevents major cardiovascular events.