\nWegovy is linked to a reduced risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart-related death, according to the results of a new clinical trial.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nThe findings from Novo Nordisk are the first to show that a diabetes drug commonly used off-label for weight loss can also provide protective benefits beyond weight reduction.\n<\/p>\n \nWegovy\u2019s maker released limited details of their findings earlier this month, including that the drug reduced the overall risk of heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular deaths by 20 percent.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nIt did not break out the effects of the drug on each individual outcome and did not detail how much weight patients lost or provide any description of the side effects that were experienced.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \nNovo Nordisk said the drug appeared to be \u201csafe and well-tolerated,\u201d which is in line with what has been seen and reported in previous clinical trials.<\/span> The data has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal or reviewed by any outside scientists.\n<\/p>\n \nThe company said it would present its full trial results later this year.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cI would bet that when the [full] study comes out, we will see decreases in risk factors including blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol,\u201d Ronald Freudenberger, MD, Physician in Chief at Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute, who was not involved with the trial, told Health<\/em>.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cIt will be important for it to go through the peer review process so we can see the details," he said. "The initial announcement, however, is logical and makes sense.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Getty Images \/ imyskin<\/p>\n <\/span> <\/span> <\/p>\n \nWegovy is currently FDA-approved for chronic weight management in the United States.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nThe company plans to ask the Food and Drug Administration to add cardiovascular benefits to Wegovy\u2019s drug prescription label later this year.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWeight management, even without the use of medications, is important as weight gain is directly tied to several cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension and diabetes,\u201d Salim S. Virani, MD, PhD, a cardiologist at The Texas Heart Institute who was not involved with the trial, told Health<\/em>.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cHeart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, so being able to control a direct contributor to cardiovascular risk factors can go a long way to slow the progression of these mortality numbers," he said.\n<\/p>\n \nThe study results add to encouraging research that has found weight loss drugs to help reduce cardiovascular risks.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nOzempic, which uses the same ingredient, semaglutide, as Wegovy, had a similar clinical trial conducted that saw a 26% reduction in cardiovascular events.<\/span> But unlike the new Wegovy clinical trial, that study was only done with participants who had diabetes.\n<\/p>\n \nThe risk factors that contribute to poor cardiovascular health are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, family history, and smoking.<\/span> While you can\u2019t change family history, you can reverse high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes with weight loss, Freudenberger explained.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWeight loss has a direct, profound effect on decreasing the risk factors for cardiovascular events and cardiovascular disease, so it makes lots of sense that a drug that reverses the risk factors will decrease cardiovascular events,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s directly reversing the contributors to bad cardiovascular health.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nMaintaining a healthy weight, with or without medication has also been shown to cause a general sense of well-being, more energy, reduction in stress levels, better sleep, improved immunity, better mental health, balanced hormones, and an overall enhancement in the quality of social life.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n What Is 'Food Noise'? How Drugs Like Ozempic and Wegovy Quiet Obsessive Thoughts About Food<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n \nA potential side effect of the clinical trial is that it could help improve insurance coverage, as the findings undermine the argument that Wegovy is merely a vanity drug.\n<\/p>\n \nWegovy currently costs over $1,300 a month before insurance, making it out of reach for many Americans whose insurance providers do not deem the drug medically necessary.\n<\/p>\n \nMedicare does not cover weight loss medications\u2014some employer insurance plans have refused to pay for them, arguing that the drugs are not essential medical remedies.<\/span> This new trial could prompt more insurers to pay for the drug, at least for patients who, like the trial participants, already had evidence of pre-existing heart disease. \n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThis outcome study strengthens the case for the use of semaglutide in patients who are overweight and obese,\u201d said Virani. \u201cWe hope that this will help improve coverage for this medication.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nAs more information from the clinical trial is released, its findings will hopefully allow researchers to study the relationship between cardiovascular events and weight loss, potentially providing more answers to how drugs like Wegovy can improve heart health. \n<\/p>\n \nVirani points out that patients considering taking Wegovy strictly for heart health should discuss their options with their treating clinicians.\n<\/p>\n \nExperts agree that this trial could change the outlook and narrative around obesity that has long been framed as the responsibility of the individual patient, and the result of their own personal choices.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThis study is indeed a landmark study," said Freudenberger. "It shows that this class of drugs, used specifically for weight loss, decreases cardiovascular mortality, which makes physiologic sense. This makes a lot of sense.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Does Ozempic Increase the Risk of Suicidal Thoughts? Here's What Experts Say<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The results of a new clinical trial show that Wegovy is linked to a reduced risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart-related death. Ozempic, a drug similar to Wegovy, had a similar clinical trial that saw a 26% reduction in cardiovascular events. Experts recommend patients looking at taking Wegovy strictly for heart health consult with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[410,1243],"tags":[116,1244],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17349"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Man](\"https:\/\/www.health.com\/thmb\/mglETJMb1YnwfCi11Id8_x11Dd0=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()\/GettyImages-13939919631-a00cc18409e1419b8cbe64b53d5d1991.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Weight Management Directly Impacts Cardiovascular Health <\/span> <\/h2>\n
How These Results Impact Insurance Coverage of Wegovy <\/span> <\/h2>\n