Research shows Wegovy reduces risk of heart attack and stroke for some

The Food and Drug Administration has given the green light for Wegovy injections to be prescribed for people looking to reduce their risk of heart disease.

Clinical research has found the drug, which lists semaglutide as an active ingredient, reduces cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke by 20% when compared to a placebo in patients who have had a cardiac crisis.

The makers of the drug, Novo Nordisk have recently announced a new weight loss drug, amycretin, which has shown to cause a 13% weight loss after 12 weeks. It's currently in phase one clinical trials.

That is compared to the 6% weight loss experienced by Wegovy patients after the same amount of time.

Health officials say the drug will need to be studied for several months and possibly years before it can be eligible for full approval.

Doctors also say for people who are losing weight rapidly on these GLP-1 drugs, it is common for them to lose muscle mass. They say people will have to work out or follow a fitness routine to maintain muscle strength.

Dr. Neil Floch, the director of bariatric surgery at Greenwich Hospital, says muscle loss is just one side effect people could experience.

"Patients get nausea, vomiting, reflux, severe abdominal pain and they can also get high lipase levels and that can lead to pancreatitis," says Floch.

More from News 12

2:19