WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A recent international study led by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital has revealed that semaglutide, the GLP-1 inhibitor present in Ozempic and Wegovy, lowered the risk of death from Covid-19 during the pandemic.
This finding follows earlier research indicating the drug reduces cardiovascular risks. The study was presented on Friday at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2024 and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The SELECT Trial, which was randomized and controlled, analyzed the impact of weekly semaglutide injections compared to a placebo among 17,604 participants with heart disease and obesity from October 2018 to March 2023. The trial was funded by Novo Nordisk.
According to Benjamin M. Scirica, MD MPH, the corresponding author and director of quality initiatives at Brigham and Women's Hospital's Cardiovascular Division, 'These results are surprising. The trial started before COVID-19, and we never anticipated a global respiratory pandemic. We quickly recognized there was important data to be collected.'
Participants taking Wegovy contracted Covid-19 at rates similar to those receiving the placebo. However, their risk of death from the infection was reduced by 33%. This protective effect was observed immediately, even before participants experienced significant weight loss.
The precise way in which semaglutide achieved this effect remains unclear. Scirica noted that individuals treated with semaglutide showed overall improvements in health, such as enhanced kidney function and reduced liver injury. These factors may have contributed to making people less vulnerable to severe complications or death from Covid-19, indicating that those treated with semaglutide were likely in better health when they contracted the virus, resulting in fewer complications.
The finding that semaglutide decreased non-cardiovascular deaths, especially those related to Covid-19, is notable and suggests new potential benefits for this class of drugs.
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