WeightControl.com Interview with:
Shauna Levy MD, MS, FACS. FASMBS, DABOM
Assistant Professor
Department of Surgery
Division of Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery
Director of Bariatric Surgery
American Board of Obesity Medicine, Diplomate
Instagram @tulane_bariatric_center
Tulaneweightloss.com
WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The SELECT trial evaluated over 17,000 patients with a history of overweight or obesity and cardiovascular disease. They randomized patients to usual care versus Wegovy (semaglutide), which is an anti-obesity medication. It is important to note that none of the participants had diabetes.
They evaluated the incidence of Major Adverse Cardiaovascular Events (MACE) for up to 5 years for all participants.
WeightControl.com: What are the main findings? Is the cardiovascular effect a direct effect of semaglutide therapy or its associated weight loss?
Response: The trial evaluated the incidence of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events including cardiovascular fatalities, non-fatal myocardial infarctions and non-fatal stroke over a period of up to 5 years for participants. This trial found that among the participants taking Wegovy the incidence of MACE was 20% lower than those with usual care. As this time, we do not know if the improvements in cardiovascular health are direct results of weight loss only or a combination of weight loss plus the benefit of the medication; more research is needed to evaluate the relationship between GLP-1 receptor agonists and cardiovascular health. We are still waiting for the complete trial information to be published, but the data that has been released so far is very encouraging.
WeightControl.com: What are the main findings? Is the cardiovascular effect a direct Why is this trial important? Why does not it matter that patients with diabetes were not included?
Response: Many people think that Wegovy is being taken by patients with just obesity for vanity, but these results highlight that the health benefits of Wegovy extend beyond weight loss alone. This is the first big trial to evalute the health benefits of Wegovy in patients without obesity. It will hopefully inspire our insurance carriers including Medicare to start including Wegovy in their insurance plan because of the health benefits.
WeightControl.com: Is this medication safe and what are the main side effects?
Response: These medications are incredibly safe and interact with very few other medications. The main side effects are gastrointestinal including nausea and constipation. The side effects are usually short-lived and decrease significantly once you are on stable dosing.
WeightControl.com: What’s next?
Response: I think this only the beginning in term of the health benefits that we will see in the category of medications for patients with obesity. I hope this study will help insurers see the benefit of this medication and improve access to care. We also near more research into the impact of GLP-1 on our body so that we understand the mechanism of action of medication on all our organ systems.
I have no disclosures.
Citation: Preliminary results from the SELECT cardiovascular outcomes trial, a double-blinded trial compared subcutaneous once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg with placebo as an adjunct to standard of care for prevention of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) over a period of up to five years.
https://www.novonordisk.com/news-and-media/news-and-ir-materials/news-details.html?id=166301
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Last Updated on August 10, 2023 by weightcontrol