Weight-loss jabs approved for people in danger of heart attacks
Weight-loss drugs can now be given to Britons at risk of heart attacks and strokes, the medicines regulator has said.
Health officials said semaglutide, marketed under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, was the first weight-loss drug to be approved for patients to prevent heart disease.
It comes after a trial found the drug cut the risk of cardiovascular disease by a fifth.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it meant there was enough evidence to approve the drug for patients who are overweight or obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 27, and who have “established cardiovascular disease”.
Patients who are overweight and have a history of heart disease will be able to access the drug privately straight away, but it will not be available on the NHS for heart disease until it has been approved by the spending watchdog.
‘Chance of a healthier future’
Prof Sir Stephen Powis, the NHS medical director, said approving the drugs for use on the NHS could “help reduce cardiovascular risks for high-risk patients, potentially preventing heart attacks and strokes, and giving more people the chance of a healthier future”.
He said: “Weight-loss drugs can be a key part of our arsenal to help tackle obesity and manage associated risks, but as global supply issues continue to affect these drugs, it is important that treatments are used correctly, in line with licensing, to ensure that patients with type 2 diabetes can receive the medicines they need.”
Around two thirds of Britons are classified as overweight or obese while some seven million people have cardiovascular disease, meaning vast numbers of people could be eligible.
The British Heart Foundation says that around 85 people in the UK die every day from heart disease caused by being overweight.
Semaglutide, manufactured by the Danish firm Novo Nordisk, is a type of GLP-1 receptor agonist that was initially used to treat diabetes under the name Ozempic.
It has since been approved as a weight-loss drug, under the brand name Wegovy.
The drug helps regulate blood sugar levels but also suppresses appetite, making people feel fuller and less hungry. However, its popularity as a weight-loss tool has led to a surge in global demand and supply shortages.
The company said it “continues to provide a protected supply of Wegovy to the NHS [while] non-NHS supply will continue to remain constrained and limited for the foreseeable future”.
The approval comes after a study of 17,600 people found the weekly injection reduced a person’s risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke by 20 per cent.
Shirley Hopper, MHRA’s deputy director of innovative medicines, said: “We’re assured that the appropriate regulatory standards of safety, quality and effectiveness for the approval of this medicine have been met.
An important step forward
“This treatment option that prevents heart disease and strokes is an important step forward in tackling the serious health consequences of obesity. As with all medicines, we will keep its safety under close review.”
Prof Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the BHF, said overweight patients who also have an established cardiovascular disease “live with a very high risk that a serious event like a heart attack or stroke could happen”.
“Several recent studies have shown us that semaglutide is an effective tool that can improve the quality of life for those with cardiovascular disease, including by lowering the risk of serious cardiac events,” he said.
“It is important that people using the drug to lose weight and improve their health are given the support they need from healthcare professionals to maintain these improvements long into the future.”