Novo Nordisk presented new data at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Madrid showing that semaglutide 2.4 mg reduced the risk of heart attack, stroke or death by 57 percent compared with tirzepatide in people with obesity and cardiovascular disease.
The findings come from the STEER real-world study, which examined outcomes among 21,250 US patients with overweight or obesity and established cardiovascular disease but no diabetes. Results were drawn from the Komodo Research database, with each treatment group comprising 10,625 people.
For patients who did not have treatment gaps longer than 30 days, there were 15 cardiovascular events (0.1 percent) with semaglutide 2.4 mg and 39 events (0.4 percent) with tirzepatide, over an average follow-up of 3.8 months and 4.3 months respectively. In all treated people, regardless of treatment gaps, semaglutide showed a 29 percent reduction in risk compared with tirzepatide, with an average follow-up of 8.3 months versus 8.6 months.
“Our landmark trial, SELECT, showed that Wegovy is associated with a significant 20 percent risk reduction of cardiovascular events, backed up with even greater risk reductions in the real-world studies SCORE and STEER. The results are clear – STEER demonstrates that Wegovy cuts the risk of heart attack, stroke or death by 57 percent compared to tirzepatide,” said Ludovic Helfgott, executive vice president and head of Product & Portfolio Strategy at Novo Nordisk. “This data confirms that semaglutide stands apart as the only available GLP-1-based medication with proven cardiovascular benefits for people living with obesity and cardiovascular disease, without diabetes.”
Cardiovascular disease is consistently among the leading causes of death in Kuwait. Ministry of Health reports show circulatory diseases account for a substantial share of total mortality. Data from the World Heart Observatory, based on IHME figures, recorded 4,201 deaths from cardiovascular disease in Kuwait in 2021, an age-standardised mortality rate of 168 per 100,000.
The STEER study builds on previous research, including the SELECT randomised controlled trial and the SCORE real-world study, which also demonstrated significant cardiovascular risk reduction with semaglutide 2.4 mg. Researchers said the findings reinforce evidence that cardiovascular benefits are specific to the semaglutide molecule and cannot be extended to other GLP-1 or GIP/GLP-1-based treatments.
According to the World Heart Federation, nearly 21 million people die annually from cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of disability and death worldwide. While overall cardiovascular mortality has fallen over the past two decades, obesity-related cardiovascular deaths have increased, with two in three obesity-related deaths linked to heart disease.
Novo Nordisk said it employs about 78,400 people in 80 countries and markets its products in around 170 countries.
