Millions of Britons should be prescribed weight-loss jabs such as Ozempic and Wegovy to reduce their risk of heart attacks and strokes, cardiologists have said. The largest study yet on these drugs found that their key ingredient, semaglutide, is a 'game-changer' for heart patients, even those who do not lose weight.
The weekly injection reduced the risk of further heart attacks or death by a fifth, according to the findings presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice. Professor John Deanfield of University College London described it as the most significant development in heart disease since statins in the 1990s, saying it would 'change clinical practice'.
The SELECT trial involved 17,604 overweight or obese adults with heart problems from 41 countries who took semaglutide over three years. Those on the drug had a 20% lower risk of heart attack, stroke, or death from heart disease, and typically lost around 10% of their body weight. Crucially, the heart benefits were seen regardless of weight loss, suggesting the drug targets underlying biological mechanisms such as inflammation.
Professor Deanfield, the Government's champion for personalised prevention, said he would recommend the drug to ministers. He noted that about half of his heart disease patients have a body mass index above 27 and would benefit from semaglutide. The drug could be prescribed alongside statins and blood pressure medication, with almost all trial participants already taking statins.
Around eight million Britons have heart disease, costing the economy an estimated £25 billion a year. The British Heart Foundation says the new class of drugs, known as GLP-1 agonists, could be routinely prescribed by the end of the decade, similar to how statins or blood pressure pills are given now.
