A major new study has revealed that weight loss drugs can halve the risk of heart patients being hospitalised or dying early. The research, presented at the European Society of Cardiology annual conference in Madrid, suggests that GLP-1 agonists could be offered to millions of people with heart conditions to help them live longer and avoid hospital stays.
The study, led by US researchers from Mass General Brigham in Boston, analysed real-world data from more than 90,000 heart failure patients who were obese and had type 2 diabetes. All participants had heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), the most common form of the condition. The results showed that those taking semaglutide were 42% less likely to end up in hospital or die prematurely, while tirzepatide cut the risk by 58%.
Globally, over 60 million people have heart failure. Previous studies had suggested weight loss drugs might improve symptoms, but their effect on hospitalisation and death had not been evaluated in such a large population until now. The findings were simultaneously published in JAMA, the journal of the American Medical Association.
Dr Nils Krüger, the study's author from Brigham and Women's Hospital, said: 'Despite the widespread morbidity and mortality burden of HFpEF, current treatment options are limited. Our study suggests these medications may offer substantial benefits by reducing adverse heart failure outcomes.'
The research adds to evidence from May, when a University College London trial found that semaglutide reduced the risk of heart attack, stroke or death from cardiovascular disease by 20%, regardless of a patient's starting weight or amount of weight lost. Dr Carlos Aguiar, vice-president of the European Society of Cardiology, called the results 'good news', while Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan of the British Heart Foundation said the data 'add to the growing body of evidence supporting a role for weight loss drugs for patients living with heart failure'.
