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Topline
Researchers found that semaglutide – the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy – may reduce the risk of death and lower the chance of developing cardiovascular conditions such as stroke and heart attack in people with heart failure, adding to the growing list of diseases that affect researchers have discovered that the drug is possible. help prevent.
On August 6, 2023, a semaglutide injection pen lies on a kitchen table in Riga, Latvia. (Photo by … [+]
Key facts
The researchers looked at data from 4,286 overweight or obese participants with heart failure who took semaglutide between October 2018 and March 2021, according to the study published Thursday in the Lancet.
Semaglutide – the generic name for Ozempic and Wegovy – is a medication used to manage weight loss in overweight or obese people and to treat type 2 diabetes.
The researchers found before the drug caused a 20% reduction in serious adverse cardiovascular events such as stroke and heart attack in people with cardiovascular disease who were also overweight or obese, but there were concerns that semaglutide would be harmful to people with heart failure.
However, the new Lancet study found that semaglutide had similar benefits in people with heart failure: the drug was associated with a 28% reduction in serious cardiovascular events and a 24% reduction in deaths from cardiovascular disease.
The study also found that the drug resulted in a 19% lower risk of death from all causes, which the researchers said could indicate “the potential for other, yet unknown, benefits.”
Why Does Semaglutide Provide Cardiovascular Benefits?
The exact reason why semaglutide positively affects the heart is unknown, but some point to the drug’s positive effects on blood pressure, blood sugar levels, inflammation and its direct effects on the heart muscle and blood vessels, the researchers said. Because the medicine work to increase insulin levels, it in turn lowers blood sugar levels, because insulin has a direct impact on blood sugar levels. Semaglutide has anti-inflammatory benefits because it oppressed the release of cytokines, which are proteins that cause inflammatory responses in the immune system. Researchers don’t know exactly how semaglutide lowers blood pressure, but some do think its ability to cause weight loss may be a factor. High blood pressure, blood sugar levels and inflammation are three risk factors that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular and other cardiovascular diseases. according to to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Big number
6.5 million. That’s how many Americans over the age of 20 have heart failure. according to to the Heart Failure Society of America. The disease is common and is responsible for 36% of all cardiovascular disease deaths.
Important background
Ozempic, manufactured by Novo Nordisk, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2017 for type 2 diabetes and Wegovy was approved in 2021 for weight loss. Semaglutide is part of a class of drugs called GLP-1sThese are medications designed to control type 2 diabetes and obesity by lowering blood sugar and A1C, interacting with the hunger part of the brain to suppress appetite and slowing down the process of emptying food from the brain. stomach, making patients feel full longer. Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, branded as Mounjaro and Zepbound, is another GLP-1. Research has shown that these medications may provide several other benefits. GLP-1s were associated with a “significant risk reduction” for 10 different cancers when used to treat type 2 diabetes, compared with insulin, according to research published in JAMA Oncology. According to a June study, obese participants who took semaglutide saw a 50% to 56% reduction in developing alcohol use disorders. Researchers found that tirzepatide reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 94% in people with prediabetes. This class of drugs also appears to have the potential to treat other conditions, such as depression, anxiety, kidney disease, fatty liver disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, sleep apnea and bipolar disorder.
Read more
What to Know About Ozempic: The Diabetes Drug Becomes a Viral Weight-Loss Hit (Elon Musk Taps It) and Creates a Shortage (Forbes)
Diabetes Drug Mounjaro Expected to Be Approved Soon for Weight Loss: What You Need to Know and How It Compares to Similar Drugs (Forbes)
Increasing evidence suggests that Ozempic (Semaglutide) helps curb alcoholism (Forbes)
Mounjaro/Zepbound Dramatically Reduces Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Eli Lilly Report Suggests (Forbes)
Drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound and Mounjaro can treat other conditions – here’s what scientists are looking at (Forbes)