TUESDAY, April 9, 2024 (HealthDay News) — For people who suffer from both diabetes and a common type of heart failure, the weight loss drug Wegoby may help you do more than just lose weight. , new research suggests.

In a study published Saturday, New England Medical Journalresearchers reported that the drug helped type 2 diabetic patients suffering from obesity-related “heart failure with preserved ejection fraction” in several ways.

This condition occurs when the heart pumps normally, but the organ is too stiff to fill properly.

“I think the answer from this trial clearly suggests that while weight loss is likely an important factor, it doesn’t explain everything,” said study co-author Dr. says Dr. Mikhail Kosyvolod, an internist and vice president of research at St. Luke’s Health System. Kansas City, Missouri said. CNN.

“I think this is very interesting because, first of all, these patients are very difficult to treat, and there are more of them every day,” Kosiborod said. “And until recently, we had very little to offer. So if we could see that it actually changes the course of the disease, we’d have something that’s really effective and, by the way, also very well-tolerated. So we now have , which of course is great news for patients and great news for the doctors who treat them.”

People with obesity-related heart failure tend to tire easily and have difficulty breathing, and those who also have type 2 diabetes have more severe cases than those without the blood sugar disorder.

The researchers who conducted this latest study, which was funded by the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, followed up on findings last fall that Wigovy had a significant effect on people with obesity-related heart failure, but not diabetes. Announced. But the research team wanted to see if the drug would be equally effective in people with diabetes.

Wegovy was first approved as an obesity treatment in 2021. Just last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also approved Wegovy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, and stroke in obese/overweight adults with heart disease. This latest study provides new evidence that Wegovy’s benefits extend to people with diabetes.

For the study, researchers randomly assigned 616 people with type 2 diabetes and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction into two groups. Participants were from 108 institutions in 16 countries, and all had a BMI of 30 or higher. One group received his Wegovy and the other group received a placebo.

Participants who received Wegovy started on a lower dose and progressed to a dose of 2.4 milligrams once a week. The researchers followed both groups for one year.

Patients who received Wegovy had much better outcomes and lost weight. and Symptoms and physical limitations associated with heart failure are significantly reduced. I could have walked further in 6 minutes. Improvements in inflammatory biomarkers were shown.

There were 55 serious adverse events reported in the Wegovy group and 88 serious adverse events in the placebo group. Six people died in the Wegovy group, while 10 people died in the placebo group. One death in the Wegovy group and four in the placebo group were related to heart disease.

The results of this clinical trial, along with a trial published last year, suggest Wegovy is effective in a wide range of people, Kosiborod said.

Professor Kosiborod, who presented the study at the American College of Cardiology Annual Meeting in Atlanta on Saturday, added that he believes the study opens up the possibility of treating heart failure by treating obesity.

“Obesity, it’s more than weight. It’s a systemic cardiometabolic disease that causes all sorts of negative effects, and treating obesity involves weight loss, but it’s much more than that,” he said. Told. “We have to aim for this. I think future standards of care for this type of heart failure will improve, and that will certainly include obesity management.”

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source: New England Medical JournalApril 6, 2024. CNN