Semaglutide reduces mortality rates from cardiovascular disease and COVID-19

Patients who receive semaglutide injections are less likely to die from any cause, including cardiovascular disease and infections like COVID-19, finds an international study led by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of Mass General Brigham Health System . The SELECT randomized controlled trial, funded by Novo Nordisk, studied the effect of once-weekly semaglutide shots versus placebo on mortality in more than 17,000 participants with heart disease and overweight or obesity between October 2018 and March 2023. Overall mortality rates in the semaglutide group were 19% lower compared to placebo. Deaths from cardiovascular disease were 15% lower and deaths from other causes were 23% lower. The results were presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2024 and simultaneously published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

These results are amazing. The trial started before COVID-19 and we never expected a global respiratory pandemic. We quickly recognized that there was important data to be collected. It is rare for a cardiometabolic drug to modify non-cardiovascular outcomes. The fact that semaglutide reduced non-cardiovascular deaths, and specifically deaths related to COVID-19, was surprising. It opens new avenues for investigating how this class of drugs can benefit patients.”

Benjamin M. Scirica, MD MPH, corresponding author, director of quality initiatives at Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Cardiovascular Division and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School

Death from infection was the most common non-cardiovascular cause of death in the trial group. In the study, people taking semaglutide were just as likely to get COVID-19 but had fewer serious adverse events or deaths related to COVID-19. The researchers don’t know whether semaglutide’s benefit is due to weight loss or other effects. This result comes from a single observation, albeit in a large, multinational study, so the findings need to be replicated. Further studies will investigate possible mechanisms of action and other studies of drugs in this class should provide additional data.