Study: A popular weight-loss drug reduces the symptoms of a fatal disease

A promising trial has found that the popular weight loss drug semaglutide, known under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, can help relieve symptoms of fatal heart failure.

The analysis is a "first of its kind" to study the drug's effects on men and women separately in relation to preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), where the heart pumps normally but is too stiff to fill properly.

The study, which included 1,145 patients, analyzed the effects of a weekly dose of 2.4 mg of the drug over the course of a year.

It turns out that women lose more weight (9.6% of body weight on average) compared to 7.2% in men. Drug doses also improve symptoms of heart failure, such as shortness of breath, fatigue, and swelling in the legs and feet in both sexes.

Patients were able to exercise more with lower levels of inflammation.

Dr Sonia Babu Narayan, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation and Consultant Cardiologist, said: “For some people, living with heart failure can make daily activities difficult or even impossible. These kinds of improvements, such as being able to walk further, can “To have a radical impact on someone’s life.”

The new analysis, presented in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, comes after the doses were found to significantly reduce people's chances of heart attacks and strokes.