NHS England to offer weight-loss drugs to 1.2m people to reduce risk of heart attacks and strokes

NHS England to offer weight-loss drugs to 1.2m people to reduce risk of heart attacks and strokes People who are not obese but overweight and at risk of serious cardiovascular events eligible for weekly jabs The NHS in England is to offer more than 1 million people weight-loss drugs to reduce their risk of heart attacks and strokes. Semaglutide is already available on the health service for some people living with obesity, and also offered under the brand name Ozempic to treat type 2 diabetes. Now people who are not obese but overweight and at risk of serious cardiovascular events will also be eligible for the weekly injections, after a watchdog gave the green light. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said people with a body mass index score of 27 or above who have had a heart attack, stroke or serious circulation problem in their legs should be offered semaglutide to ward off life-threatening cardiovascular events. NHS England said about 1.2 million people could benefit. Semaglutide is best known as a weight-loss drug. But the Nice recommendation is specifically about preventing heart attacks and strokes The weekly injections will be an extra treatment, offered on top of medicines people are already taking, such as statins, and alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for those at high risk of another serious event. Clinical trials found semaglutide reduces the risk of a heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death. Crucially, this benefit was seen before significant weight loss occurred, suggesting the drug works directly on the heart and blood vessels, not just through weight loss, Nice said. The Guardian reported last year how the largest study of its kind, led by University College London , found semaglutide cuts the risk of heart attack or stroke regardless of how many kilograms people lose. The findings, published in the Lancet , suggested the drugs could have wider benefits for patients beyond weight loss, so should...