Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes

This Novo Nordisk funded, multicenter, double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial explored whether semaglutide (a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist) can reduce cardiovascular risk associated with overweight and obesity in the absence of diabetes. The authors recruited 17,604 patients over forty-five years of age with preexisting cardiovascular disease, and a BMI of 27 or greater with no history of diabetes. Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either 2.4 mg of once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide or a placebo. The primary end point was a composite of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke in a time to first event analysis. Mean duration of follow up was 39.8 (+/-9.4) months. It was found that weekly subcutaneous semaglutide was superior to the placebo at reducing poor outcomes.