Real-world data link semaglutide, tirzepatide to improved heart failure outcomes
Semaglutide and tirzepatide can help patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) significantly improve their heart health, according to new data presented at ESC Congress 2025, the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology.
The team’s analysis was simultaneously published in JAMA.[1]
Semaglutide and tirzepatide are popular diabetes drugs now being increasingly used for weight loss, even in patients without diabetes. Tirzepatide is a popular dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist sold by Lilly under the brand names Zepbound and Mounjaro. Semaglutide, meanwhile, is a GLP-1 receptor agonist sold by Novo Nordisk under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic.
For this latest analysis, researchers explored real-world data from more than 90,000 HFpEF patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes who received treatment from 2018 to 2024. The data came from five different cohort studies originally designed to track the safety and effectiveness of semaglutide and/or tirzepatide.
Overall, the data revealed that both semaglutide and tirzepatide are associated with significant reductions in the composite risk of all-cause mortality and hospitalization due to heart failure. In addition, the authors noted that “tirzepatide showed no meaningful benefit over semaglutide.”
“Despite the widespread morbidity and mortality burden of HFpEF, current treatment options are limited,” corresponding author Nils Krüger, MD, with the division of pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said in a statement. “Both semaglutide and tirzepatide are well-known for their effects on weight loss and blood sugar control, but our study suggests they may also offer substantial benefits to patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes by reducing adverse heart failure outcomes.”
Both drugs were also linked to “acceptable safety profiles.”
Krüger et al. still hope to perform additional studies focused on the long-term impact of treatment. In addition, the groups wants to study whether or not certain HFpEF patients may benefit more than others.
“Our findings show that in the future, GLP-1 targeting medications could provide a much-needed treatment option for patients with heart failure,” Krüger said.
Click here to read the full study in JAMA.
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.