Popular Weight Loss Drug Wegovy Lowers Risk of Stroke and Heart Attack, Drugmaker Says
Weight loss drug Wegovy’s manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, says the drug may help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
A trial conducted by Novo Nordisk found that the medication reduced the risk of heart attack and stroke by 20%.
Experts say it’s too soon to draw any major conclusions.
Weight loss drug Wegovy continues to receive attention for its ability to help users lose significant pounds. But that’s not all it can do, according to the drug’s manufacturer, Novo Nordisk. Now, the company says the weekly injectable drug can actually help reduce the risk of serious cardiovascular complications like heart attack and stroke.
It’s important to state upfront that the study the new findings are based on was conducted by Novo Nordisk—not an independent party. Novo Nordisk also hasn’t published the study results in a peer-reviewed journal, so it’s difficult to know all the details.
Still, Novo Nordisk said in a press release issued Tuesday that a recent clinical trial found that Wegovy lowered the risk of stroke, heart attack, and cardiovascular deaths by 20% compared to people who used a placebo. That’s getting a lot of attention—and raising some questions. Here’s what you need to know.
Wait, what is Wegovy?
Wegovy is an injectable weight loss medication that contains 2.4 milligrams of semaglutide (the active ingredient in type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic that’s getting a lot of buzz), explains Jamie Alan, Ph.D., an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University.
Wegovy is designed to be used by adults and children aged 12 and up who have obesity, which is defined by a BMI of 30 or higher for adults (Prevention no longer uses BMI as an indicator of health, but in the case of these drugs, it’s a crucial part of the FDA guidelines) and being in the 95th percentile or greater for kids, according to the official Wegovy website.
“This drug works by sending satiety signals to your brain and slowing down your GI tract, effectively making you feel fuller longer,” Alan says. “It does have many modes of action, in addition to these major modes of action.”
What did the study find?
Again, the study hasn’t been peer-reviewed or published yet. But the study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 17,604 adults aged 45 years or older with overweight or obesity and established cardiovascular disease, according to Novo Nordisk.
For the study, patients were either given shots once a week of Wegovy or a placebo, along with the standard of care to prevent major cardiovascular events over a period of five years. The trial found that people who took Wegovy had a “statistically significant and superior reduction” in the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events compared to the placebo, Novo Nordisk says.
Why might Wegovy lower your risk of cardiovascular complications?
That’s the big question, and experts say it’s tricky to figure out without seeing the full study. Still, there are some theories.
“We know that [excess] weight itself is a risk factor for heart disease, but it’s one of many different risk factors,” says Cheng-Han Chen, M.D., Ph.D., an interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA. Alan agrees, noting that “the weight loss it produces is likely a large part of reducing risk.”
But Dr. Chen says that it’s “a little surprising” that weight loss itself would improve cardiovascular risk factors by as much as 20%. Worth noting: Novo Nordisk didn’t share how much weight the study participants lost.
Experts say there’s likely more to this than just weight loss, though. “There must be some other effect on blood sugar control that hasn’t been studied yet,” Dr. Chen says.
Wegovy side effects
Novo Nordisk says in its press release that the drug was “safe and well-tolerated” in the latest study. However, Wegovy and similar semaglutide medications have been linked with gastroparesis, i.e. stomach paralysis, per CNN. The news organization also spoke with former users of the medications who say that they struggle with frequent vomiting.
The below side effects have been reported by 5% or more of people who use Wegovy, according to the FDA:
nausea
diarrhea
vomiting
constipation
abdominal pain
headache
fatigue
indigestion
dizziness
abdominal distension
burping
low blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes
gas
gastroenteritis
gastroesophageal reflux disease
How to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease
Dr. Chen points to the American Heart Association (AHA)’s Life’s Essential 8 factors to lower your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Those include:
avoiding smoking
being physically active
eating a healthy diet
maintaining a healthy weight
managing your blood glucose levels
keeping your cholesterol under control
keeping your blood pressure under control
getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night
“There are a lot of different things that can cause heart disease—including genetics—but we have to do what we can,” Dr. Chen says.
Dr. Chen says that it’s “way too early” to talk about Wegovy as a potential preventative treatment for cardiovascular disease. But, he adds, “I think people in the field are super excited about this news.”
You Might Also Like
