Heart failure symptoms improved in study: Semaglutide for weak hearts

529 patients with heart failure type HFpEF (mean age 69 years, BMI >30 kg/m2) participated in the one-year study and were randomized to receive either semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly or placebo. After a year of taking semaglutide, the participants felt significantly better. Using the Kansas Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire, corresponding data on quality of life associated with heart failure were collected and summarized in a score (KCCQ-CSS). With semaglutide, the score improved by 16.6 points, significantly more than with control, where the score increased by only 8.7 points (P < 0.001). At the same time, as expected, people in the streptococcal group lost more weight than the control group (-13.3% vs. -2.6%; p<0.001). In the 6-minute walking test, the distance traveled was increased by 21.5 meters under the active substance, while it increased by only 1.2 meters under the placebo (P < 0.001). Semaglutide also reduced CRP significantly more than placebo (-43.5% vs -7.3%, P < 0.001).

In an exploratory analysis, the researchers evaluated the number of study participants who had to be hospitalized for acute heart failure: twelve in the control group and only one in the semaglutide group. A similar association was also detected in the safety analyses: serious adverse effects occurred more frequently in the placebo group and were mainly due to cardiac events.