Semaglutide improves heart failure symptoms in both sexes—weight loss greater in women
Semaglutide, the first weight loss drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, improves symptoms in both men and women who present with heart failure. When it comes to weight loss, however, the drug—sold by Novo Nordisk under the brand name Wegovy—appears to benefit women much more than men.
That’s according to new research presented at the American Diabetes Association’s 2024 Scientific Sessions and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.[1]
The findings represent an updated analysis of the STEP-HFpEF and STEP-HFpEF DM trials, which explored the benefits of semaglutide/Wegovy in patients with obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) who also present with and without type 2 diabetes. Early STEP-HFpEF outcomes were presented back in April at ACC.24, the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology.
“Understanding the sex differences in obesity-related HFpEF is of great importance,” senior author Mikhail Kosiborod, MD, a cardiologist with Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, said in a statement. “Obesity and visceral adiposity are key drivers of HFpEF development and progression, and this may be even more amplified in women, who represent the majority of people with the disease, and bear a heavier burden of symptoms and physical limitations due to HFpEF. Our study sheds light on these differences and the consistent benefits of semaglutide for women and men.”
The team’s research included data from more than 1,000 HFpEF patients with and without type 2 diabetes. Women tended to be younger and have higher body mass indexes at the start of the study. Patients were either treated once weekly with semaglutide 2.4 mg or a placebo for one year.
Improvements in heart failure symptoms were comparable in men and women; Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Clinical Summary Scores improved after treatment by a mean total of 7.6 points in women and 7.5 points in men. The mean weight loss among women, however, was 9.6% comparable to 7.2% among men.
“The consistency and magnitude of benefit observed with semaglutide in the STEP-HFpEF program, regardless of sex, are quite notable,” the authors wrote.
Click here to read the full analysis in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.