Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy Heart Benefits Beyond Weight Loss

By Patrick Wingrove

Novo Nordisk presented new data at a major medical meeting in Philadelphia, revealing that the heart protective benefits of its Wegovy obesity treatment extend beyond weight loss alone.

Early data from the Danish drugmaker’s Select trial suggested that Wegovy, known chemically as semaglutide, not only helps patients lose an average of 15% of their weight but also reduces the incidence of heart attack, stroke, or death from heart disease by 20%.

Full results from the study, presented at the American Heart Association annual scientific meeting, indicate that the drug has other beneficial effects beyond the known health benefits from losing weight.

The heart risk difference between patients who received Wegovy and those on placebo began to appear almost immediately after starting treatment, suggesting that the heart protection was not purely the result of weight loss.

In an editorial accompanying the study, doctors Amit Khera and Tiffany Powell-Wiley wrote that the trial results could extend the drugs to millions of additional patients who have coronary artery disease.

The study researchers said that while the mechanisms of the cardiovascular protection from semaglutide remain speculative, there was a consistent effect on associated risk factors that support the idea that multiple pathways are behind the drug’s clinical benefit.

Patients on Wegovy experienced decreases in C-reactive proteins, an indication of inflammation, similar to those reported with cholesterol-lowering statins, which are known to significantly lower heart risks.

In the 17,604-patient trial with a mean duration of 33 months, almost 1,500 of those taking Wegovy discontinued treatment due to adverse side effects, mostly gastrointestinal disorders like nausea and vomiting, compared to 718 patients in the placebo group, according to the study.

Novo Nordisk reported last week that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had accepted its label update application under priority review, meaning the agency will decide within six months.

U.S. and UK drug regulators approved Eli Lilly’s rival weight-loss treatment on Wednesday, which had previously been approved and marketed as Mounjaro for diabetes.