Novo's Wegovy induces higher weight loss in women than men with same
heart condition, study shows
Send a link to a friend
[June 24, 2024]
By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Bhanvi Satija
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk's popular obesity drug Wegovy helped
women with a common heart disease lose more weight than men who had the
same condition, an analysis of study data published in a medical journal
has shown.
The trials included 1,145 patients and were focused on a condition known
as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, or HFpEF, in which
the muscles of the heart stiffen and draw in less blood.
The data from the two trials, which tested the drug in people with
obesity-related heart failure along with HFpEF - both with and without
diabetes - was presented at the American Diabetes Association's
scientific meeting in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday.
The drug produced similar improvements in HFpEF symptoms, physical
limitations and exercise function regardless of sex, the data showed.
The prespecified analysis was published in the Journal of the American
College of Cardiology.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Jun/24/images/ads/current/ldn_smallsda_BUSINESSMAG_2023.png)
"We're seeing a benefit across males and females," said Stephen Gough,
Novo's chief medical officer, in an interview. He added that trial data
supported Wegovy's potential to deliver clinical improvements in
patients with heart failure.
Novo's trials were not designed to evaluate the treatment effects of
Wegovy, chemically known as semaglutide, by biological sex.
About half of the patients enrolled in the trials were females. They had
a higher body mass index and worse symptoms of heart failure, the
analysis showed. Females were also less likely to have abnormal heart
rhythm or coronary artery disease, compared to males.
The data showed that a 2.4 milligram dose of semaglutide in patients
with obesity-related HFpEF reduced body weight to a greater extent in
females. Females lost an average of 9.6% of their weight, while males
lost about 7.2% of body weight.
[to top of second column]
|
![](../images/062424PIX/health77.jpg)
Boxes of Wegovy move along a packaging line at Novo Nordisk's
facility in Hillerod, Denmark, March 8, 2024. REUTERS/Tom
Little/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Jun/24/images/ads/current/aeps_lda_013124.png) Heart failure benefits were found to
be similar in males and females, with both groups improving by an
average of roughly 7.5 points on a 0-to-100-point scoring system.
Other studies have also shown a greater weight-loss response in
women than in men with semaglutide, for reasons that aren't clear
yet, according to the analysis.
The "key surprising finding" from the analysis was that greater
weight loss among females did not lead to similarly greater
improvements in heart failure symptoms, according to an editorial
published with the study.
More research was needed to identify the reasons for that
discrepancy, the researchers said.
Fewer serious adverse events were reported in patients who received
semaglutide, compared to those on a placebo, data showed.
HFpEF accounts for about half of heart failure cases, with symptoms
including shortness of breath and swelling in the extremities. The
condition mostly affects overweight people and is especially common
among women, prior studies have shown.
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Copenhagen and Bhanvi
Satija in Bangalore; Editing by Caroline Humer and Pooja Desai)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Jun/24/images/ads/current/graue_sda_042021.png) |