The UK National Health Service (NHS) is set to offer the weight-loss injection Wegovy for free to over a million people in England who are at risk of heart attacks and strokes.
This initiative follows guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which recommends that overweight individuals with heart conditions or serious circulation problems in their legs receive the weekly injection as an “additional layer of protection.”
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Wegovy, developed by the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, is mainly an antidiabetic drug used to treat Type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that patients using Wegovy for weight loss were able to maintain reduced weight for up to four years.
“We know that people who have already had a heart attack or stroke are living with real fear that it could happen again. The evidence from the clinical trial is compelling. It showed that people taking semaglutide alongside their existing heart medicines were significantly less likely to have another heart attack or stroke,” said Helen Knight, from NICE.
“Today’s decision gives thousands of people in that situation an extra layer of protection, on top of the medicines they are already taking,” she added.
Wegovy and Heart Risk
A November 2023 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reported the results of a large randomized clinical trial involving tens of thousands of participants. The trial found that Wegovy, when used alongside standard heart medications, was associated with a 20% reduction in the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Notably, the benefits appeared early in the trial, even before participants experienced significant weight loss. This suggests that Wegovy may have direct protective effects on the heart and blood vessels, rather than acting solely through weight reduction.
The BBC reported that the UK continues to face a substantial burden from heart disease, with annual figures highlighting the scale of the problem:
- Around 100,000 people are hospitalized each year due to heart attacks.
- Another 100,000 experience a stroke annually.
- Approximately 350,000 people are living with peripheral arterial disease.
Sharon Hodgson, the health minister, said weight-loss drugs were a “gamechanger” and giving them to people at risk of heart attacks and strokes would be a “lifesaver”.
Wegovy Is Top Weight-Loss Choice for US Teens
Wegovy is currently the only medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in children aged 12 and older who are living with obesity. Since receiving this approval in late 2022, prescriptions for the drug have risen steadily.
In the first quarter of 2025, the prescription rate climbed further, reaching 17.3 per 100,000 individuals.
