Research led by University College London has brought to light that a weight reduction injection can indeed cut down the menace of heart attacks and aid to enrich the cardiovascular well-being in adults. This revelation could mark one of the most noteworthy medical advancements post-statins.
The medication with the active compound semaglutide, found in brands like Wegovy and Ozempic, was used on participants who saw a decreased risk of heart attack, stroke, or death caused by cardiovascular disease by twenty per cent.
Unveiled at the European Congress of Obesity (ECO), this study showed that semaglutide contributed to cardiovascular benefits irrespective of the initial weight of the participants or the quantity of weight they had shed, insinuating that even those only slightly obese or have shed little weight can experience improved cardiovascular results.
Prof. John Deanfield, the spearhead of this pivotal study and director of the National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research, stated that this novel drug has the potential of transforming medical treatments and could be commonly prescribed for cardiovascular maladies, thanks to its evident benefits beyond weight loss.
The study involved adults aged 45 or above with more than 27 body mass index hailing from 41 nations. These 17,604 subjects, who had prior history of cardiovascular ailments, were given a weekly 2.5mg dose of semaglutide or a placebo across an average span of 40 months.
Interestingly, in the group receiving semaglutide, just 6.5 per cent experienced a primary cardiovascular end-point event like a heart attack, while this figure was 8 per cent in the group given placebo.
Semaglutide, marketed under brand name ‘Wegovy’, has in recent times been prescribed for weight loss. Prof. Deanfield compared the significant discovery of statins, known for their cholesterol lowering nature in the 1990s, to the contemporary cardiovascular health improvement attributed to semaglutide.
According to Professor Jason Halford, president of the European Association for the Study of Obesity, there exists a set of medicines that could revolutionise the treatment of various chronic age-related ailments. These medications not only have the potential to enhance cardiovascular health but could also be a practical economic choice if utilised on a larger scale. Professor Halford argues, the forthcoming decade should witness a vital shift in healthcare practices with an increasing focus on workforce fitness.
Alongside this, a research conducted on the same clinical trial showed that over a span of four years, individuals who were given semaglutide noticed a significant decrease in their body weight averaging at 10.2 per cent and a reduction of 7.7cm around their waist. In contrast, the control group that took placebo noted a 1.5 per cent drop in body weight and a 1.3cm decrease in waist circumference.
A different research has been conducted on a novel slimming injection named Retratrutide, which could potentially surpass the effectiveness of existing products in the market. The injection, to be taken weekly, aims to suppress one’s appetite while also promoting the body’s fat burning process. Its phase 2 clinical trials have shown promising results so far.
A trial consisting of 338 individuals who are dealing with obesity displayed that these participants, over the course of a 48-week period, lost roughly 24 per cent of their weight. Researchers are unanimously of the opinion that this injection could potentially outperform other appetite suppressant-only medications like Ozempic or Wegovy.
Professor Naveed Sattar from the University of Glasgow, well-versed in the study of other weight loss treatments, commented that a decade ago, no one could predict the development of such highly effective weight reduction drugs. The test results suggest that Retatrutide’s weight reduction trajectory hasn’t stabilized yet, implying that it could shed nearly 30 per cent of an individual’s body weight if administered over an extended period, according to the Guardian.