A selection of injector pens for the Wegovy weight loss drug are shown in this photo illustration in Chicago, Illinois, March 31, 2023.Jim Vondruska | ReutersWegovy, the popular weight loss drug from Novo Nordisk, significantly reduced symptoms of a common type of heart failure in patients with obesity, according to a late-stage clinical trial released Friday. Wegovy helped alleviate symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling in the legs and irregular heart beat. It also resulted in lower blood pressure and reductions in inflammation – two important markers of heart health. The results add to Wegovy’s growing list of potential health benefits beyond shedding unwanted pounds. That could potentially lead to expanded use of the drug and increased coverage by insurers. The results also complement the groundbreaking trial data Novo Nordisk released earlier this month, which found that Wegovy slashed the risk of serious heart-related problems by 20%. “We look forward to working closely with the clinical community and regulators to help realise this potential over the coming months,” Martin Lange, Novo Nordisk’s head of development, said in a release. He was referring to the heart health benefits observed in both trials. The new study on 529 obese patients focused on a heart condition known as preserved ejection fraction, or HFpEF – a condition that comprises roughly half of all heart failure cases and occurs when the heart’s lower chamber pumps less blood than the body needs.An estimated 2.5 million people in the U.S. have that condition and more than 80% of those patients also have obesity. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that Wegovy led to a nearly 17-point improvement on a 100-point scale that’s used to assess symptoms of HFpEF. By comparison, patients who received a placebo had a nine-point improvement.Wegovy also led to improvements in physical limitations: Patients who took the drug were able to walk further in …
