Reducing the risk of hospitalization due to heart failure for patients using weight loss medication

In a groundbreaking development, two medications—Semaglutide and Tirzepatide—have shown promising results in reducing the risk of hospitalization for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The findings of these studies were published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and are being presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Madrid.

Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly, often due to the heart becoming too weak or stiff. HFpEF is a specific type of heart failure that occurs when the heart muscle does not relax properly to fill with blood, despite having a normal pumping function. It is estimated that half a million people with heart failure in the UK have HFpEF.

The studies compared these drugs to Sitagliptin, a medication used to manage blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. Semaglutide and Tirzepatide, when compared to Sitagliptin, were found to slash the risk of hospitalization or death for patients with HFpEF by more than 40% and 58%, respectively.

Semaglutide is sold under brand names Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus, with Ozempic and Rybelsus available on the NHS for type 2 diabetes, and Wegovy for obesity management. Tirzepatide, sold under the brand name Mounjaro, is used for type 2 diabetes and weight management on the NHS.

Notably, a separate study compared Tirzepatide and Semaglutide directly and found that Tirzepatide showed no meaningful benefit over Semaglutide. However, the pharmaceutical company that produces Tirzepatide, Eli Lilly and Company, has reported that in studies, Tirzepatide has reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by more than 50% compared to Sitagliptin in patients with HFpEF.

It is important to note that the studies did not provide information on the specific findings or outcomes related to hospitalization risk reduction for patients with HFpEF, the safety or side effects of Semaglutide and Tirzepatide compared to Sitagliptin, or the specific findings or outcomes of the study comparing Tirzepatide and Semaglutide directly.

The analysis included 58,333 patients in the Semaglutide vs Sitagliptin group and 11,257 in the Tirzepatide vs Sitagliptin group. The study's authors stated that the findings support the use of Semaglutide and Tirzepatide in patients with cardiometabolic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

These findings could potentially revolutionize the treatment of HFpEF, offering hope to the hundreds of thousands of people living with this condition. Further research will be necessary to confirm these results and understand the full implications of these medications for the management of HFpEF.