Weight-loss jab 'could cut heart attack risk'

A weight-loss injection could reduce the risk of heart attacks and benefit the cardiovascular health of millions of adults across the UK, in what could be the largest medical breakthrough since statins, according to a study.

- Tobi Thomas

It found that participants taking the medication semaglutide, the active ingredient in brands including Wegovy and Ozempic, had a 20% lower risk of heart attack, stroke or death due to cardiovascular disease.

The study, presented at the European Congress of Obesity (ECO) and led by researchers at University College London, also found that semaglutide brought about cardiovascular benefits for its participants, regardless of their starting weight or the amount of weight that they had lost. It suggests that those with mild obesity or who have lost only a small amount of weight could have an improved cardiovascular outcome.

Prof John Deanfield, the director of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (NICOR) and the lead author of the study, said that the findings showed that the medication should be routinely prescribed to treat cardiovascular illnesses, and that millions across the UK could be taking the medication in the next few years.