Weight loss drug Wegovy gains FDA approval to reduce heart disease risk
The semaglutide drug Wegovy was approved by the FDA on March 8 to help lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death in adults with heart disease who are obese or overweight. According to the indication, semaglutide should be used in conjunction with a lower-calorie diet and more exercise. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first authorized semaglutide in 2017 for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults. The FDA approved Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide drug Wegovy in 2021 for the treatment of obesity and overweight adults who also have at least one weight-related condition.
Medication classified as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists includes semaglutide, which was first created to treat type 2 diabetes. Since then, the use of GLP-1 medications to treat weight loss has skyrocketed. Researchers have looked into the effects of semaglutide on cardiovascular health in recent years. For example, a 2021 study discovered a link between semaglutide and anti-atherosclerotic benefits. According to a 2023 study, semaglutide may help adults with obesity who do not have diabetes by improving cardiometabolic risk factors and lowering the usage of high blood pressure and high cholesterol medications.
This class of medications may help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, two risk factors for cardiovascular disease, by promoting weight loss and weight control. By addressing one component of the metabolic syndrome, you can also improve the other heart disease risk factors, which will ultimately lead to better cardiovascular outcomes. The short answer is that everything is interconnected, and managing weight and blood sugar levels is a major factor in many cases of heart disease. Based on the findings of the SELECT cardiovascular outcomes clinical trial, the FDA has granted a new approval. According to the study, adults with established cardiovascular disease who are overweight or obese and take Wegovy have a 20 percent lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, such as cardiovascular death, non-fatal heart attack, or non-fatal stroke. Furthermore, the trial discovered that, in comparison to individuals who took a placebo, semaglutide use decreased a person’s risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 15% and death from all causes by 19%.
It is well known that obesity raises the risk of cardiovascular disease on its own. Additionally, patients can lower that risk by losing weight. This study was intriguing because it suggests that these weight-loss drugs have an impact beyond only assisting patients in losing weight. Regretfully, they were unable to address that in this study; however, further research in that field is required. Despite all of our efforts over the past few decades, cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death worldwide. As a result, we need to keep looking for new strategies to lower the morbidity and mortality rate from this illness. Heart failure and advanced vascular disease, for example, carry a higher death risk than many types of cancer. Cardiovascular disease is a public health emergency, especially when it is linked to obesity. As such, any safe treatment that lowers the risk of death or complications will be highly sought after. When it comes to treating these ailments, there is still a great deal we don’t know.
The way semaglutide medications function is by mimicking the body’s natural release of the GLP-1 hormone during meals by the gastrointestinal tract. This hormone lowers blood sugar levels by instructing the body to produce more insulin. Semaglutide is a prescription drug that is administered intravenously by the patient. It works by increasing the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas and lowering the amount of glucagon produced by the liver. These drugs directly lessen appetite and cravings by acting on the hypothalamus, a region of the brain.
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