Wegovy may significantly reduce hospital admissions for any cause and overall length of stay, according to a new analysis of data from Novo Nordisk's phase 3 SELECT trial.
Compared to patients taking a placebo, those taking Wegovy (2.4 milligrams of semaglutide) were less likely to be hospitalized for any reason. Findings presented Nov. 3 during a session at the annual ObesityWeek conference showed admissions for any cause occurred in 33.4% of patients taking Wegovy, compared to nearly 37% in the placebo cohort.
The new findings are based on an analysis of data from Novo Nordisk's multicenter, randomized Semaglutide Effects on Cardiovascular Outcomes in People with Overweight or Obesity trial (SELECT), which began in 2018 and enrolled more than 17,000 adults in 41 countries.
Three key findings:
- Patients taking Wegovy were also less likely to be hospitalized for serious adverse events (30.3% versus 33.4%).
- Total hospitalization rates were lower in the semaglutide group: 18.3 admissions per 100 patient years versus 20.4 admissions in the placebo group. Patients taking Wegovy also had a shorter hospital stay overall (157.2 days per 100 patient years versus 176.2 days).
- The new analysis builds on past findings showing Wegovy reduces the risk of major cardiovascular events in patients without diabetes, but with a history of heart attack, stroke or peripheral artery disease.
"In the SELECT trial, this cohort of patients had a high rate of hospital admissions, but for those given once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg, we observed significant reductions in hospital admissions and overall time they spent in the hospital," Steven Kahn, MD, a professor in the department of medicine at VA Puget Sound Health Care System and the University of Seattle, said in a news release.
Wegovy is approved for chronic weight management and to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack and stroke in adults with heart disease.