Patients who took semaglutide, the main ingredient of Wegovy and Ozempic, died less often from COVID-19 compared to those who took a placebo, according to a study published Aug. 30 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
To investigate how semaglutide affects different causes of death, researchers analyzed data from a trial of about 17,000 adults that ran from 2021 through 2023. The trial enrolled middle-aged adults who are overweight or obese, have cardiovascular disease and do not have diabetes.
Of the 833 deaths, 58% were related to cardiovascular issues and 42% were not. Among deaths not caused by cardiovascular conditions, infection was the most common cause, which occurred at a higher rate among the placebo group compared to semaglutide users.
"Semaglutide did not reduce incident COVID-19; however, among participants who developed COVID-19, fewer participants treated with semaglutide had COVID-19–related serious adverse events or died of COVID-19" compared to the placebo cohort, the researchers found.
Semaglutide patients also had lower rates of all-cause deaths, which the researchers associated with the weight loss drug reducing obesity-related health complications.