Weight loss shots could become the ‘new statin’ for heart treatment after US regulators approved the drug

Blockbuster weight loss jab Wegovy could become ‘the new statin’ after US regulators approved it as a treatment for heart disease.

It follows the results of a major study which found the drug, known as semaglutide, could reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke in obese people by around 20 percent.

Around 50,000 people in Britain who are obese or have at least one other weight-related problem – including heart problems – are already eligible for Wegovy on the NHS and will receive those benefits.

But thousands of others with heart disease, who may be overweight but not obese, could be able to access it in the future after the company behind the drug, Novo Nordisk, filed a complaint with the UK regulator the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). had requested a similar update.

Obesity expert Prof Naveed Sattar from the University of Glasgow told The Mail on Sunday that “cardiologists are now starting to pay serious attention” to semaglutide as a treatment for cardiovascular disease.

And Professor David Strain from the University of Exeter said that, pending further research, it could eventually be used as statins, which are given to around eight million adults in Britain to prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Prof Strain said: ‘Statins were initially only for people with very high cholesterol, then it was people with risk factors.

‘The evidence says it doesn’t matter what your cholesterol is; you will benefit from a statin once you reach a certain age.

“I could see that happening in the future for semaglutide.”

The drug works by suppressing appetite and stimulating insulin production

The drug – which is also used to treat type 2 diabetes under the brand name Ozempic – works by suppressing appetite and stimulating the production of insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.

But Prof Strain says there is growing evidence that it also has a direct impact on the heart, which is not just linked to the beneficial effect of weight loss – although it is still unknown how exactly it helps the heart.

“I am absolutely convinced that it is not just the reduction in obesity that is having this effect,” he says. ‘Weight-loss surgery can produce similar weight loss, but you don’t see the benefits in terms of cardiovascular risk as quickly.’

A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk said a decision from the MHRA was expected later this year.