7 Sept 2023 • Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is increasing in prevalence and evidence suggests that obesity and excess adiposity may play a role in the development and progression of HFpEF.

It is unknown whether the use of medications that target obesity can improve symptoms and enhance exercise function in this particular subset of patients.

Semaglutide, a potent glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist, at a dose of 2.4 mg administered subcutaneously once a week, has been approved for long-term weight management.

Previous studies have shown that semaglutide can produce major weight loss in individuals with overweight or obesity and have favourable effects on cardiometabolic risk factors.

Hence, researchers aimed to understand whether once weekly semaglutide at a dose of 2.4 mg might lead to reductions in symptoms and physical limitations and improved exercise function, in addition to weight loss, in patients with HFpEF and obesity.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 529 participants with obesity revealed that a weekly 2.4-mg injection of semaglutide for 52 weeks reported substantial improvements in symptoms and physical function than those who received a placebo.

The participants who received semaglutide also lost an average of 13.3% of their body weight, almost 11 percentage points more than the placebo group.

These results are promising, however further trials are required to understand whether similar findings are seen with other types of weight loss interventions or in other populations (such as those with HFpEF and obesity).

Source: NEJM | Read full story