On Friday, March 8, 2024, the FDA approved Wegovy (semaglutide) for a new indication--reduction of risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, and stroke in adults with cardiovascular disease who are obese or overweight. Wegovy should be used along with increased physical activity and a reduced calorie diet.
John Sharretts, M.D., director of the Division of Diabetes, Lipid Disorders, and Obesity in the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research stated that “Wegovy is now the first weight loss medication to also be approved to help prevent life-threatening cardiovascular events in adults with cardiovascular disease and either obesity or overweight.”
Wegovy contains semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. Semaglutide is the same medication that is in Ozempic, which is indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes along with diet and exercise.
Approximately 70% of American adults are classified as either obese or overweight. The risk of premature death and various health problems such as heart attack and stroke are magnified in the setting of obesity or overweight.
In clinical trials, Wegovy significantly decreased the risk of major cardiovascular events such as cardiovascular death, heart attack, and stroke. Study participants who received Wegovy had a 6.5% occurrence of these serious events compared to 8% of the placebo group.
The clinical team at MyMatrixx is monitoring the book of business GLP-1 spend and trend. Please contact your MyMatrixx representative with any questions or to get more information about this growing class of drugs.