Weight Loss Drug's Cardiovascular Benefits for Heart Failure Patient: Study - Video

The new study, published in The Lancet, found that the anti-obesity drug semaglutide might aid in preventing heart attacks and other significant cardiac events in overweight individuals with cardiovascular disease, regardless of whether they also have heart failure.

This study discovered that a subgroup of participants diagnosed with heart failure (i.e., those with impaired heart function) experienced similar cardiovascular benefits from the treatment. This diagnosis was made by a clinician at the beginning of the trial.

The researchers analyzed data from 4,286 participants out of the 17,605 in the significant Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes (SELECT) trial, who were randomly assigned to receive either semaglutide or a placebo. These individuals were monitored for an average of over three years.

They discovered that semaglutide was associated with a 28% decrease in major adverse cardiac events (with 12.3% of the placebo group experiencing such events compared to 9.1% in the semaglutide group). Additionally, it was linked to a 24% reduction in cardiovascular disease-related deaths and a 19% reduction in deaths from any cause among those with pre-existing heart failure.

Semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, mimics the action of the body’s natural incretin hormones, which help reduce blood sugar levels after eating. Initially, it was prescribed for adults with type 2 diabetes.

While the precise mechanism behind semaglutide's cardiovascular benefits is not fully understood, it may involve its beneficial effects on blood sugar, blood pressure, and inflammation, as well as potential direct impacts on the heart muscle and blood vessels.

Reference: Deanfield, J., Verma, S., Scirica, B. M., Kahn, S. E., Emerson, S. S., Ryan, D., Lingvay, I., Colhoun, H. M., Plutzky, J., Kosiborod, M. N., Hovingh, G. K., Hardt-Lindberg, S., Frenkel, O., Weeke, P. E., Rasmussen, S., Goudev, A., Lang, C. C., Urina-Triana, M., Pietilä, M., & Lincoff, A. M. (2024). Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with obesity and prevalent heart failure: A prespecified analysis of the SELECT trial. The Lancet. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00123-7