Weight loss drug Wegovy may help with heart function - study

Popular weight loss injection Wegovy not only leads to weight loss and improved blood sugar and fat levels, but also reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to a recent study funded by the drug’s manufacturer.

The research, published last weekend in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, showed how Wegovy helped patients with type 2 diabetes who suffered from heart failure, when the heart doesn't contract properly and won't pump enough blood. Treatment for this includes lifestyle changes and heart medication, but there are no specific treatments for a damaged heart muscle.

This kind of heart failure, linked to obesity, can severely limit a person's ability to perform daily tasks. A person can get tired very easily and struggle to breathe - sometimes even needing extra oxygen. Their condition can deteriorate to the point of hospitalization, disability, and death.

The new study, which was funded by Wegovy’s manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, randomly selected 216 people with type-2 diabetes and heart failure, from 16 countries. All had body mass indexes (BMIs) of 30 or higher, indicating obesity.

One group of participants received weekly Wegovy injections, and the second group received a placebo. Participants who received Wegovy started with a lower dose ands gradually went up to 2.4 milligrams. 

Researchers observed the two groups for a year. They saw that those who received Wegovy treatments saw better results, losing more weight and seeing reduced symptoms for heart failure. These included a reduction in fatigue, being able to walk for longer, and more.

Over the course of the study, 55 serious side effects and six deaths, one of them from heart issues, were reported in the Wegovy group. In the control group, 88 serious side effects and 10 deaths, four of them from heart issues, were reported.

According to the research team leader Dr. Mikhail Kosiborod, a cardiologist at St. Luke’s Health System in Kansas City, Missouri, the findings show that Wegovy is an effective and safe weight loss treatment for a wide range of people, including diabetics. 

Is weight loss the factor helping people with heart failure?

"I think the answer from the trial clearly suggests that, while weight loss is likely an important factor, it cannot explain everything," Kosiborod said, according to CNN, noting that the positive benefits for heart failure patients with and without diabetes were about the same.

"I think that’s incredibly exciting because first of all, these patients are really difficult to treat, and there are a lot more of them every day," he said, according to CNN. "And until recently, we had very little to offer them, so if we know it actually modifies the disease process, we have something really effective – and by the way, really well-tolerated as well – and that’s of course great news for patients and great news for doctors taking care of patients."

Wegovy comes to Israel

In other news, Wegovy is now starting to hit store shelves in Israel. 

According to Maariv, the new medication can be ordered through a pharmacy in just a few days. These injections come directly from Novo Nordisk Israel.

The medication is given in increasing doses, from 0.25 mg up to an effective dose of 2.4 mg after several months. The cost of this treatment is NIS 1,250 per month for the final dose, which you need to stay on at least a year, if not for life.