The U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the weight reduction drug Wegovy (semaglutide) for lowering the chance of cardiovascular loss of life, coronary heart illness, and stroke in adults who’re chubby or have weight problems. The company says the injectable medication ought to be used “along with a decreased calorie eating regimen and elevated bodily exercise.”

“This affected person inhabitants has a better threat of cardiovascular loss of life, coronary heart assault, and stroke. Offering a therapy possibility that’s confirmed to decrease this cardiovascular threat is a serious advance for public well being,” he added.

Wegovy, which has the identical lively ingredient because the kind 2 diabetes drug Ozempic, was already authorized by the FDA in 2021 for weight reduction in chubby or overweight adults who’ve at the least one different weight-related situation, together with kind 2 diabetes, hypertension, or excessive ldl cholesterol.

In a intently watched late-stage medical trial revealed in November 2023, Wegovy decreased the chance of heart-disease-related loss of life, coronary heart assault, and stroke by 20 % in chubby or overweight adults with coronary heart illness in contrast with a placebo.