Novo’s Wegovy induces higher weight loss in women than men with same heart condition, study shows By Reuters
Written by Jakob Gronholt Pedersen and Bhanvi Satya
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – An analysis of data from a study published in a medical journal showed that Novo Nordisk Inc’s (NYSE) popular obesity drug WiGovi helped women with common heart diseases lose more weight than men with the same condition.
The trials included 1,145 patients and focused on a condition known as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, or HFpEF, in which the heart muscles stiffen and draw less blood.
Data from the two trials, which tested the drug in people with obesity-related heart failure along with HFpEF — both with and without diabetes — were presented at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Meeting in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday.
The data showed that the drug produced similar improvements in HFpEF symptoms, physical limitations, and exercise function regardless of gender.
The prespecified analysis was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
“We’re seeing a benefit between males and females,” Stephen Goff, Novo’s chief medical officer, said in an interview. He added that the trial data supports Wegovy’s ability to provide clinical improvements for patients with heart failure.
The de novo trials were not designed to evaluate the effects of Wegovy treatment, known chemically as semaglutide, by biological sex.
About half of the patients enrolled in the trials were female. The analysis showed that they had a higher body mass index and worse heart failure symptoms. Females were also less likely to develop arrhythmia or coronary artery disease, compared to males.
Data showed that a 2.4 milligram dose of semaglutide in patients with obesity-associated HFpEF reduced body weight to a greater extent in females. Females lost an average of 9.6% of their body weight, while males lost about 7.2% of their body weight.
The benefits of heart failure were found to be similar in males and females, with both groups improving by an average of approximately 7.5 points on a 0 to 100 point scoring system.
Other studies also showed a greater weight loss response in women than men with semaglutide, for reasons that are not yet clear, according to the analysis.
The “major surprising finding” from the analysis was that greater weight loss among females did not lead to similarly greater improvements in heart failure symptoms, according to an editorial published with the study.
The researchers said more research is needed to determine the reasons for this discrepancy.
The data showed that fewer serious adverse events were reported in patients who received semaglutide, compared with those who took placebo.
HFpEF accounts for about half of all heart failure cases, with symptoms including shortness of breath and swelling in the extremities. Previous studies have shown that this condition mostly affects people who are overweight, and is particularly common among women.
