Weight loss chemical in Ozempic, Wegovy may reduce heart attack risk by 20%: Study

A weight-loss drug has shown to be able to reduce risk of heart attacks and improving overall cardiovascular health in adults across the UK, a new study has claimed.

The study found that participants taking the medication semaglutide, the active ingredient in brands including Wegovy and Ozempic, had a 20 per centlower risk of heart attack, stroke or death due to cardiovascular disease.

The study, presented at the European Congress of Obesity (ECO) and led by researchers at University College London, found semaglutide improved cardiovascular health in participants, independent of starting weight or weight loss amount.

Those with mild obesity or who have lost only a small amount of weight could have an improved cardiovascular outcome.

“Findings show the drug should be regularly prescribed to treat cardiovascular illnesses, and that millions of people across the UK could be taking the medication in the next few years," saidProf John Deanfield, the director of the National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research and the lead author of the study.

“This drug really is a gamechanger, as study suggests that here are potentially substitute mechanisms for that improved cardiovascular outcome with semaglutide beyond weight loss. Something else is going on that benefits the cardiovascular system.”.

The study examined 17,604 adults aged 45 and over with a body mass index of over 27 from across 41 countries. The participants, who had experienced a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack, were prescribed either a 2.5mg weekly dose of semaglutide or a placebo for an average period of 40 months.

Of them, 8,803 participants who received semaglutide treatmenthad a lower risk of cardiovascular events, compared to the placebo group of 8,801 participants.

Specifically, 569 or 6.5% of those taking semaglutide experienced a primary cardiovascular end-point event, such as a heart attack, whereas in the placebo group, the figure stood at 701 or 8%.

The finding is significant because semaglutide, sold under the brand name Wegovy, has been approved for weight loss on the NHS since 2023.

The study claims that this weight-loss medication may offer other cardiovascular benefits, potentially expanding its role in improving overall health outcomes.

Deanfield said, “In the 1990s, statins– drugs that lower cholesterol – were considered a medical breakthrough and revolutionary in treating cardiology practice. Semaglutide could be seen as similarly groundbreaking in regarding to improving cardiovascular health."

According to the British Heart Foundation, approximately 7.6 million people in the UK are living with heart or circulatory disease.

However, another study found that participants who were advised semaglutide lost an average of 10.2% of body weight and 7.7cm from their waist over a four-year period, while the participants in the placebo group lost 1.5% of body weight and 1.3cm from the waist.

(With inputs from agencies)