The injectable medication is the first glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist — a drug class that includes Ozempic, Mounjaro and Trulicity — to be approved for serious heart problems in obese and overweight adults.
The FDA’s approval label hooks on that Wegovy (semaglutide) should be used alongside a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity.
About 70% of U.S. adults are obese or overweight, which the FDA said are “serious health issues that increase the risk for premature death and a variety of health problems, including heart attack and stroke.”
In a phase 3 trial — which included more than 17,000 obese and overweight adults and lasted five years — the medication reduced major adverse cardiovascular events by 20% and quelled heart failure-related symptoms.
Read more here about how Wegovy compares to other GLP-1s.
