The trial, called SELECT, indicates that the drug can have protective effects beyond weight loss.
The trial enrolled 17,604 adults aged 45 or older who did not have diabetes.
They did have a history of heart disease and abody mass index(BMI) of 27 or more.
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BMI is a dated, flawed measure.
It does not take into account factors such asbody composition, ethnicity, sex, race, and age.
People were asking, Does weight loss improve their health in any way?
And should insurance pay for it, if it doesnt do anything beyond cosmetic?
This trial will definitely be the first benchmark and answering that question.
Medicare and many private insurers dont cover weight loss medications.
At $1,400 per month, the cost of Wegovy without insurance coverage can be prohibitive for many patients.
Thats been their way of dodging paying for it.
The SELECT trial results may not be applicable to people with obesity who dont already have heart disease.
Rapid weight loss can commonly cause gallstones.
These are sick people to begin with.
Theyre obese and theyve had a heart attack already.
So, I think its a real acid test for the drug, Heymsfield said.
But its unlikely for Wegovy or Ozempic to become a foundational drug for treating heart disease.
I dont think this is a quick fix.
And its not a one size fits all.
Novo Nordisk said its considering testing semaglutide as a way to prevent heart disease in high-risk people.
But there are no such trials planned.
2016;375(19):1834-1844. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1607141
