Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes

This multicenter, double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial investigated the cardiovascular effects of semaglutide in 17,604 patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease and overweight or obesity but without diabetes. Participants received either once weekly subcutaneous semaglutide (2.4 mg) or placebo. Over a mean follow up of 39.8 months, semaglutide reduced the risk of a composite primary endpoint (cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke) by 20% (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.72–0.90, P<0.001). Semaglutide also led to a mean 9.4% reduction in body weight and improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors. Adverse events, primarily gastrointestinal, were more frequent with semaglutide but serious adverse events were less common. The study highlights semaglutide’s potential as a secondary prevention therapy for cardiovascular disease in this population.

This multicenter, double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial investigated the cardiovascular effects of semaglutide in 17,604 patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease and overweight or obesity but without diabetes. Participants received either once weekly subcutaneous semaglutide (2.4 mg) or placebo. Over a mean follow up of 39.8 months, semaglutide reduced the risk of a composite primary endpoint (cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke) by 20% (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.72–0.90, P<0.001). Semaglutide also led to a mean 9.4% reduction in body weight and improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors. Adverse events, primarily gastrointestinal, were more frequent with semaglutide but serious adverse events were less common. The study highlights semaglutide’s potential as a secondary prevention therapy for cardiovascular disease in this population.