Ozempic and Wegovy can reverse heart disease symptoms: Slimming jabs offer hopes of cure as study suggests they are three-times more effective than existing treatments

Weight-loss shots can reverse heart disease symptoms, marking a major breakthrough that offers hope to half a million Britons.

A groundbreaking global study found that semaglutide – known by the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy – was three times more effective than any existing treatment for heart failure.

Experts say the new class of weight-loss drugs will usher in a “new era” that will transform the lives of patients with the deadly disease.

Doctors believe this will lead to a “paradigm shift” in treatment, offering hope for the first cure for the debilitating condition.

It is also one of the strongest evidence to date that obesity is the cause of heart failure.

Dr. Mikhail Kosiborod, a cardiologist and vice president of research at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, described it as “one of the most promising developments in this field.”

He said: ‘We are talking about marked improvements in symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, inability to do physical exertion, swelling.

“These kinds of improvements can be very impactful for patients with heart failure.”

About a million people in Britain suffer from the disease, half of which have a type known as preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) heart failure, in which the heart pumps normally but is too stiff to fill properly.

The study included 529 patients from 13 countries with a body mass index greater than 30, as well as symptoms of heart failure and psychiatric disability.

Half received a 2.4mg shot once a week for a year, while the others received a sham drug, in the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, considered the gold standard of medical trials.

After 12 months, those taking semaglutide saw substantial improvements in their condition and quality of life due to a reversal of symptoms, including shortness of breath and inflammation.

Researchers assessed changes in body weight and changes in heart failure-related symptoms using the clinical summary score (CSS) of the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ).

At 52 weeks, the mean change on the KCCQ-CSS was 16.6 points for patients on the weight loss shot compared to 8.7 points in the placebo group.

Patients taking the drug, produced by the Danish company Novo Nordisk, lost an average of 13.3 percent compared to 2.6 percent.

They were also able to walk further afterwards, typically covering 21.5 meters in a six-minute test, compared to 1.2 meters in the placebo group.

Speaking to reporters at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Amsterdam, Dr. Kosiborod said he was “very excited” about the results.

He said, “The benefits we’ve seen with semaglutide versus placebo on these very important outcomes for patients with this type of heart failure – their symptoms and physical function – are the greatest we’ve ever seen from any pharmacological intervention in this patient population.

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The medication produced major improvements in symptoms, physical limitations and exercise function, reduced inflammation and resulted in greater weight loss and less severe side effects compared to placebo, he said.

He added, “The magnitude of benefits we’ve seen is the largest we’ve seen with any agent in HFpEF.”

“This is likely to have a significant impact on clinical practice, particularly as there is a shortage of effective therapies in this vulnerable patient group.”

Professor Frank Ruschita, former president of the ESC’s Heart Failure Association, addressed the conference: ‘This is a major step forward into a new era. No question. It’s great science, it matters a lot.

HFpEF affects 32 million people worldwide. The annual mortality rate is 10-15 percent; you are likely to be hospitalized once a year.

Yet it is still poorly understood and we lack effective treatments. Two out of three of our patients are obese.

Wegovy and Ozempic, both of which contain semaglutide, work by prompting the body to produce a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1, which is released naturally from the gut after meals.

Now you give us hope. We are in a new era.’

Scientists say further research is needed to determine whether the drug treats the heart disease’s mechanisms, is simply due to weight loss, or a combination of the two.

It comes weeks after initial results showed that the risk of heart attack and stroke fell by a fifth in overweight people with heart disease.

The latest results are likely to further intensify demand for the drug, which was approved by UK regulators earlier this year to treat obesity.

A global shortage has delayed its launch on the NHS and a £40m campaign against obesity by the government, with its makers suggesting supply problems will continue into next year.

Dr. Sonya Babu-Narayan, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation and consulting cardiologist, praised the findings.

“Just a few years ago, drugs that could help people achieve life-changing weight loss seemed like a distant dream. But now they are here.

‘This study shows that semaglutide is not only safe for people with this type of heart failure, but also has important benefits for their quality of life.

She added: “For some people, living with heart failure can make daily activities difficult or even impossible. The kinds of improvements shown in this study, such as being able to walk further, could have a transformative impact on someone’s life.’