Anti-obesity drugs could lower heart risk for 6.6 million Americans

A Yale School of Medicine study finds the diabetes and obesity drug semaglutide could dramatically lower risk of heart attacks and other cardiac events for millions of Americans.

Results from the SELECT Trial, presented in full at the American Heart Association on November 11th, showed a 20% reduction in major adverse cadiac event (MACE) risk on semaglutide for adults aged 45 or older with overweight or obesity, established cardiovascular disease and no diabetes. A Yale team examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2011 to 2020 to investigate how many non-diabetic Americans could benefit from semaglutide to reduce MACE risk.

The team estimates 6.6 million Americans met the SELECT Trial criteria in 2020 and could benefit from semaglutide treatment. “The potential for population benefit is enormous, as large numbers of people have the potential to improve their health,” says Yuan Lu, ScD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and lead author of the study.

Researchers say this vulnerable population is growing. The study finds just 4.3 million Americans qualified under SELECT criteria in 2011-2012. That number grew more than 50% by 2020. “Our findings highlight that the population that can benefit from the application of the SELECT trial results is growing, indicating the increasing importance of these medications as tools to improve health outcomes,” says Ania Jastreboff, MD, PhD, director of the Yale Obesity Research and an author of the study.

The results also reveal racial and socioeconomic factors impacting obesity and heart disease. Black adults had the highest rates of eligibility, followed closely by white adults. Researchers say those with lower educational attainment, unemployed status, and lower family income were also more likely to qualify for the treatment. 

“Our study shows that minoritized populations and those with lower socioeconomic status are disproportionately represented among those who could benefit," says Harlan Krumholz, MD, Harold J. Hines Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and senior author of the study. "We need to ensure that everyone who can benefit has access to these medications.”