Weight loss drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide could dramatically slash hospital admission risks for patients with a specific type of heart failure, according to new research. The medications, sold under brand names including Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, showed remarkable benefits when compared to existing diabetes treatments.
The study focused on patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a condition where the heart muscle fails to relax properly to fill with blood despite maintaining normal pumping function. An estimated half of the one million people with heart failure in the UK have this specific type of the condition.
Major risk reductions found
Researchers analysed US healthcare claims data from 2018 to 2024, examining nearly 70,000 patients across two comparison groups. They compared the weight loss drugs against sitagliptin, a standard medication used to manage blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.
The results revealed dramatic improvements in patient outcomes. Semaglutide reduced the risk of hospitalisation or death from any cause by 42 per cent, while tirzepatide achieved an even greater 58 per cent reduction compared to sitagliptin.
Drug availability and mechanisms
Both medications are GLP-1 agonists that help lower blood sugar levels, slow food digestion and reduce appetite. Tirzepatide is available on the NHS for type 2 diabetes and weight management, while semaglutide products have varying NHS availability depending on the specific condition being treated.
Ozempic and Rybelsus are available on the NHS for people with type 2 diabetes, while Wegovy is used to manage obesity. When researchers directly compared the two drugs using data from 28,100 patients, tirzepatide showed no meaningful benefit over semaglutide.
Clinical significance
Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers said the findings "complement early results from small clinical trials and support the use of semaglutide and tirzepatide in patients with cardiometabolic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction." The research is being presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
