Semaglutide Can Cut Prevalence of Obesity, CVD in Eligible U.S. Adults

TUESDAY, Aug. 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Semaglutide treatment among eligible U.S. adults can reduce the prevalence of obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, according to a study published online Aug. 14 in Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy.

Nathan D. Wong, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the University of California in Irvine, and colleagues applied STEP 1 trial eligibility criteria to adults in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015 to 2018 to estimate eligibility for semaglutide 2.4 mg and the potential impact on obesity and CVD events.

The researchers identified 3,999 U.S. adults weighted to an estimated population size of 93.0 million (38 percent of U.S. adults) who meet the eligibility criteria for STEP 1. Applying STEP 1 treatment effects on weight loss would result in weight reductions of ≥10 percent and ≥15 percent in an estimated 69.1 and 50.5 percent, respectively, translating to a reduction in prevalence of obesity of 46.1 percent. For those without CVD, the estimated 10-year CVD risks were 10.15 and 8.34 percent before and after semaglutide treatment, respectively, resulting in a 1.81 percent absolute risk reduction and 17.8 percent relative risk reduction, corresponding to 1.50 million preventable CVD events over 10 years.

"We now have a weight control therapy that also significantly reduces cardiovascular events beyond the diabetes population where it was originally studied," Wong said in a statement. "It should be considered for patients who are obese or overweight with other risk factors where cardiovascular disease is their leading cause of disability and death."

One author disclosed ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Novo Nordisk, which manufactures semaglutide and partially funded the study.

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