A new analysis of data from the phase 3 STEP (semaglutide treatment effect in people with obesity) trials shows that adults using Wegovy for obesity treatment were more likely to discontinue or reduce the intensity of their antihypertensive and lipid-lowering medications compared to those on a placebo.
The analysis, published in Obesity, pooled data from multiple phase 3 STEP trials and found that a significantly higher proportion of adults receiving semaglutide 2.4 milligrams stopped or tapered their antihypertensive or lipid-lowering therapy after 68 weeks.
Specifically, 17.7% of participants in the semaglutide group discontinued antihypertensive medications, compared to 9% in the placebo group. Similarly, 10.1% of those taking semaglutide stopped using lipid-lowering agents compared with 4.5% of the placebo group.
The findings were consistent across adults with and without Type 2 diabetes. Researchers observed that among adults with obesity but no diabetes, the intensity for antihypertensive therapy was lowered for 16.5% of those on semaglutide, compared to just 4.8% of those on a placebo.
A similar trend was seen in lipid-lowering discontinuation, with semaglutide-treated participants having a higher rate of cessation compared to those receiving the placebo.
The study also found that more participants in the semaglutide group achieved hypertension remission. Among those with obesity and not diabetes, 13.7% of semaglutide users reached hypertension remission at 68 weeks, compared to just 6.2% of placebo users.