The weightloss jab Wegovy can also reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events by 20% in people who are overweight or obese, the company behind the drug has said.
Wegovy – which is not yet available in the UK – has been hailed a wonder drug for weightloss, with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) saying patients on the weekly injections saw their weight fall by an average of 12%, compared with a placebo, after one year.
Novo Nordisk, which makes Wegovy, says a five-year study called Select has found the jabs can also reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, such as stroke or heart attack, by 20% in adults who are overweight or obese.
“People living with obesity have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease but to date, there are no approved weight management medications proven to deliver effective weight management while also reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death. Therefore, we are very excited about the results from SELECT showing that semaglutide 2.4 mg reduces the risk of cardiovascular events,” said Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president for Development at Novo Nordisk.
The company report that 17,604 adults aged 45 years or older and who had a body mass index of 27 or higher were enrolled in the trial. All participants had been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (CVD) but had no prior history of diabetes.
The researchers split participants randomly into two groups – one of which was given a weekly Wegovy injection, while the other group was given a placebo. Neither the participants nor the researchers knew which jab was being used in which patient, making the trial “double blind”.
The team tracked outcomes for the participants for up to five years, looking at cases of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction or non-fatal stroke, finding that such outcomes were 20% lower for participants who received Wegovy than those who received a placebo.
However the results of the study were shared in a press release by Novo Nordisk rather than in a peer-reviewed research paper, meaning detail was limited – including to what extent the findings might be down to direct effects of Wegovy, or indirect effects as a result of weight loss.
Wegovy contains the drug semaglutide, which is also found in the diabetes drug Ozempic. The weight-loss effects of semaglutide have prompted people to buy Ozempic, leaving diabetics struggling to get hold of dwindling supplies.
Novo Nordisk says it is expecting to file for regulatory approvals in order to expand the licensed uses for Wegovy in the US and EU.
However, last month it was announced Ozempic, Wegovy and similar drugs will be reviewed in the UK and Europe after reports of suicidal or self-harming thoughts among people using such medicines.
Dr Simon Cork, senior lecturer in physiology at Anglia Ruskin University, said the results of the Select trial need to be confirmed through peer review.
But he added the findings demonstrate the urgent need for patients living with obesity to be offered Wegovy – which he said is a safe and effective drug – to prevent future disease, noting that would not not only result in financial savings for health bodies, but provide people with a greater quality of life.