A weight loss drug containing semaglutide (active substance in Ozempic or Wegovy) could improve symptoms of heart failure in obese patients, reports a new study.
A weight loss drug would have beneficial effects in patients suffering fromobesity and heart failureaccording to a test of the European Society of Cardiology the results of which were presented on August 25, 2023 at the ESC 2023 Congress which took place in Amsterdam (Netherlands). More precisely, it is a medicine containing semaglutidea substance notably marketed under the name Ozempic® Or Wegovy® in the form of self-injecting syringes, which would be capable, in these patients, of improving their symptoms (shortness of breath, exercise intoleranceswelling/edema) and their physical function linked to heart failure and to train them at home significant weight loss. To achieve this result, the researchers carried out a randomized, double-blind trial, conducted in 13 countries from Asia, Europe, North America and South America. They divided into two groups 529 patients (56% women and 44% men, average age 69 years) presenting obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²), functional limitations in their daily life and symptoms of heart failure, with we call a limited “preserved ejection fraction”, in other words, the reflection of a poor contractile function of heart.
The first group received 2.4 mg semaglutide (the brand name of the drug was not revealed in the study) subcutaneously once a week for 1 year while the other group received a placebo. At the end of the trial, patients in the first group saw their weight drop by 13% compared to 2.6% for the second group and the symptoms of heart failure improved by 20% under semaglutide compared to 5% under placebo. Concerning physical activity, patients on semaglutide were able to do 320 meters more on foot than patients on placebo. Note that serious adverse events were reported in 35 patients on semaglutide (13.3%) and in 71 patients on placebo (26.7%).
Ozempic is not authorized for the treatment of obesity
“This finding will likely have a significant impact on clinical practice, especially as there is a shortage of effective therapies in this vulnerable patient group. We believe that these results should also change the nature of the debate about the role of obesity in heart failure, as the results clearly indicate that obesity is not simply a comorbidity in patients with heart failure, but a root cause and target for therapeutic intervention“, comments Dr Mikhail Kosiborod, lead author of the study.
In Francealthough it is sometimes misused for weight loss purposes, Ozempic® is not not authorized in the treatment of obesitybut only in case of diabetes type 2 insufficiently controlled, recalls theANSMunlike Wegovy® (containing the same active substance) which is indicated in addition to a low-calorie diet and an increase in physical activity for weight management in adults with an initial body mass index (BMI) ≥ 35 kg/m² and aged ≤ 65 years in case of failure of well-conducted nutritional care (< 5% weight loss at six months), we can read in an opinion from the High Authority of Health from December 22, 2022. These two medications are available only by prescription.