Taking semaglutide for weight loss can reduce the risk of death, including with COVID-19

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-08-30 18:33

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People with overweight/obesity who take semaglutide have a reduced risk of dying from any cause, heart problems and even COVID-19 compared to taking no weight loss medications, according to international research. The team looked at death data from a semaglutide trial including about 17,500 participants aged over 45 with overweight/obesity, with half randomised to receive semaglutide weekly while the other half took a placebo. Over an average follow-up of just over three years, the researchers say 833 participants died. Participants taking semaglutide had a lower risk of death of any cause as well as heart-related death, the researchers say. The most common non-heart-related cause of death was from an infection, and the researchers say these also occurred at a lower rate in the semaglutide group. Participants taking semaglutide were just as likely to be infected with COVID-19, but less likely to have a serious health complication or die as a result of the virus, the researchers add.