Millions could start using semaglutide medication

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine, have just published a study that projects 93 million U.S. adults who are overweight and obese may be suitable for the 2.4-milligram dosage of semaglutide, a weight loss medication known under the brand name Wegovy, which causes an average weight loss of 15% when taken as directed. 

If those adults lost weight at that rate, it could result in 43 million fewer people with obesity and prevent up to 1.5 million heart attacks, strokes and other adverse cardiovascular events over 10 years. 

The study, “U.S. Population Eligibility and Estimated Impact of Semaglutide Treatment on Obesity Prevalence and Cardiovascular Disease Events,” was published in the journal Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy, and was led by Nathan D. Wong, PhD, professor and director of the Heart Disease Prevention Program in the Division of Cardiology at the UCI School of Medicine. Wong also presented his team’s findings at the American College of Cardiology scientific sessions in March. 

The analysis is based on results from the STEP 1 trial, published in 2021 in the New England Journal of Medicine, which showed the 2.4-mg dosage of semaglutide approved by the FDA for the treatment of obesity reduced body weight by an average of 14.9% along with reductions in several cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure and lipids. Novo Nordisk supported the study. 

For more information, visit medschool.uci.edu.