More than a million people with heart disease will be prescribed a weight loss jab to prevent them from having heart attacks or strokes.
The NHS’s spending watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), has approved giving semaglutide to overweight and obese patients living with certain heart and circulatory conditions to cut their risk of a major cardiovascular event.
The weekly jab, sold under the brand name Wegovy, is a GLP-1 receptor agonist – a type of drug that encourages weight loss by slowing down how quickly food is digested.
NICE said clinical trials have also indicated the drug works directly on the heart and blood vessels – and it expects that 1.2 million people across England could benefit.
Guidance says the treatment can be used by patients with a body mass index (BMI) score of 27 and above in addition to other medicines, such as statins, and alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased exercise.
Treatment available ‘within months’
Semaglutide is already available on the NHS in England as a treatment option for people with obesity and, under the name Ozempic, for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Evidence from a clinical trial shows the injection reduces the risk of a heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death.
NICE said the study suggests the benefit was seen even before patients lost a significant amount of weight, suggesting the drug works on the heart and blood vessels.
Among the 17,604 people who took part in the study, there was a 20% reduced risk of a major heart event.
NICE said its evaluation shows the treatment is “cost-effective” for NHS use, with officials saying the treatment would be available on the health service “within months”.
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“We know that people who have already had a heart attack or stroke are living with real fear that it could happen again,” said Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE.
“The evidence from the clinical trial is compelling. It showed that people taking semaglutide alongside their existing heart medicines were significantly less likely to have another heart attack or stroke.”
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Helen Williams, national clinical director for cardiovascular disease prevention at NHS England, said the treatment “could be life-changing”.
“We know that people who have already had a heart attack or stroke face a much higher risk of having another,” she said.
“Used alongside a healthy diet and regular exercise, semaglutide could help prevent thousands of future major cardiovascular events and give many people the chance at a longer and healthier life.”
