The drug Ozempic with the active ingredient semaglutide came onto the market as a diabetes medication, but is becoming increasingly popular as a weight-loss injection. Celebrities like Elon Musk, Keke Palmer and Amy Schumer have already commented on their Ozempic diet. A new study now shows that the active ingredient semaglutide can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
In the New England Journal of Medicine, a team of researchers published their long-term work showing that products like Wegovy or Ozempics reduce the risk of a fatal heart attack or stroke. As a result of the study, scientists examined a total of 17,600 people worldwide who had previously suffered from cardiovascular disease and had a body mass index (BMI) of at least 27, i.e. who were overweight.
Around half of the participants received the active ingredient semaglutide for 34 months. The other half received a placebo. At the end of the examinations, the participants were observed for an average of 40 months. The study was financed by semaglutide manufacturer Novo Nordisk.
The study showed that eight percent of the participants in the placebo group suffered from serious cardiac problems over the course of the study, while 6.5 percent of the participants in the semaglutide group suffered from serious cardiac problems. Lead author of the work Michael Lincoff explains that cardiology has so far only used therapeutic approaches that address high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes. The research team’s work underpins for the first time a pharmacological attempt to combat obesity in order to reduce the risk of heart disease, explains Lincoff to the news portal “NewAtlas”.
“These are very encouraging and important data for a drug that could potentially help a large number of people to reduce cardiovascular risk in the future,” says Stefan Störk, senior physician at the Medical Clinic and Polyclinic I and head of the Department of Clinical Research and Epidemiology at the German Center for Heart Failure at the University Hospital of Würzburg, opposite the “Science Media Center Germany”. However, Störk notes that the medication only works as long as it is taken. Consequently, discontinuation leads to weight gain again. For this reason, it would be more ideal if “the mindset of those affected” were to change “through therapy.”
Gary Wittert, senior principal research fellow at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute and professor of medicine at the University of Adelaide, also told the Science Media Center that the study reminds us that weight management in people at high residual risk of brings “significant benefits” to cardiovascular diseases. “In essence, the study confirms the benefit of weight loss in reducing residual risk in people at high risk of cardiovascular events.”
In comparison, however, the positive effects of semaglutide are only small. Garron Dudd, senior lecturer and laboratory director at the University of Melbourne, warns that while the results are “exciting,” caution should be exercised when interpreting the data. In relation, the risk of the semaglutide group only improves compared to the placebo group with a difference of 1.5%.
In addition, the study only shows that diabetics benefit healthily from regular use of semaglutide. However, the study authors believe it is possible that the protective effect is caused by the active ingredients. This could therefore cause physiological changes that have a positive effect on the heart, reports the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. In animal studies, semaglutide has already been observed to reduce inflammation.
The diet culture in particular takes advantage of the advantages of semaglutide: Andreas Klinge, a diabetologist in Hamburg and board member of the German Medical Association’s Medicines Commission, said in an interview with the “Tagesschau” that he had seen such hype about a drug in twenty years of medical practice hasn’t experienced yet. As a result, there would never be a day for him without at least four or five patients asking for the weight-loss injection. As a result, there have already been enormous supply shortages. The diet culture surrounding Ozempic has come under particular criticism because diabetics have had to do without their usual medication for a while.