Ozempic cuts risk of severe COVID in people with obesity

(NewsNation) — The popular weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy may reduce the rates of severe COVID-19 reactions, including death, a new study found.

Published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the trial examined 17,604 people over more than three years.

It found that, while taking semaglutide once a weekly did not reduce rates of COVID-19 overall, it led to fewer "COVID-19 related adverse events."

Placebo-takers recorded a 3.1% occurrence, while those on the weight loss drugs noted 2.6%.

Participants were:

• 45 years or older
• Overweight or had obesity
• Diagnosed with cardiovascular disease
• Not diagnosed with diabetes

Approximately 833 total deaths occurred during the trial. Of those deaths, 58% were cardiovascular disease related while 42% weren't.

"In general, there were consistently lower rates of all-cause death, CV death, and non-CV death in patients assigned to semaglutide compared with placebo across major subgroups, including by age, sex, race, region, atherosclerotic disease areas, renal function, or heart failure," the study concluded.

"These findings reinforce that overweight and obesity increases the risk of death due to many etiologies, which can be modified with potent incretin-based therapies like semaglutide," said Benjamin Scirica, MD, MPH, lead author of the study, according to MedicalXpress reporting.