Semaglutide 2.4 mg Reduces Risk for Hospitalization for Any Cause in Adults with CVD, Obesity

Treatment with semaglutide 2.4 mg was associated with a significant reduction in hospital admissions and overall length of stay in adults with known cardiovascular disease (CVD) and obesity or overweight, according to results of an exploratory post hoc analysis of the phase 3 SELECT cardiovascular outcomes trial (CVOT).

The data were presented during an oral session at ObesityWeek 2024, November 2-6, in San Antonio, TX.

Steven J Nicholls, MBBS, PhD

Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

The prespecified analysis of the large (n = 17 604) multicountry CVOT initiated in 2018, found that participants treated with semaglutide 2.4 mg were 11% less likely to be hospitalized for any cause. CV-related hospitalizations were reduced by 17%, but among participants who received semaglutide reductions in inpatient care of 15% to 24% were observed for other causes as well, according to the study abstract.

The original multicenter randomized SELECT trial demonstrated that compared with placebo, weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg significantly reduced the risk for CV events, ie, death from CV causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke over an average follow-up of approximately 40 months in adults aged 45 years and older with obesity or overweight and established CVD but without diabetes.

In this SELECT analysis, led by Steven J Nicholls, director of Victorian Heart Institute and professor of cardiology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, hospital admission for any indication was lower among semaglutide-treated participants (33.4%) than for those receiving placebo (33.4%) (HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.84-0.93; P <.001). A similar difference was seen for admissions for serious adverse events, which occurred in 30.3% treated with semaglutide and 33.4% treated with placebo (HR 0.88, [0.84-0.93], P <.001). For all indications, the number of total hospital admissions was lower among semaglutide- vs placebo-treated participants(18.3 vs 20.4 admissions per 100 patient years [PY], HR 0.90 [0.85-0.95]; P =.0002) as it was also for total serious adverse events (15.2 vs 17.1 admissions per 100 PY, HR 0.89 [0.84-0.94], P <.001).

Although the mean length of hospital stay was similar between the 2 groups, (13.0 vs 13.2 days; P = .76), Nicholls et al reported that the number of days hospitalized per 100 PY was lower in the semaglutide group (157.2 vs 176.2 days; risk ratio, 0.89; P = .01). In subgroup analyses by age, sex, and body mass index, there were no differences observed in the effect of semaglutide, according to the study abstract.

"People with obesity or overweight with established [CVD] and without diabetes are more likely to be admitted to the hospital for events like heart attack or stroke, contributing to reduced patient well-being, higher use of healthcare resources..." presenting author Steven E Kahn, MD, ChB, division of metabolism, endocrinology, and nutrition, department of medicine, VA Puget Sound Health Care System and University of Washington, in Seattle, WA, said in a Novo Nordisk press release. “We hear regularly about different benefits of GLP-1 receptor agonists. These analyses from SELECT [add] to that in now showing that even in people without diabetes, semaglutide has a benefit to reduce the risk of hospitalization that goes beyond just cardiac causes,” Kahn said in an interview with Medscape Medical News.

References

Semaglutide reduces hospital admissions in patients with obesity or overweight or obesity and established CVD. Abstract presented at ObesityWeek 2024. November 2-6, 2024; San Antonio, TX. https://tos.planion.com/Web.User/AbstractDet?ACCOUNT=TOS&ABSID=1032890&CONF=OW2024&ssoOverride=OFF&CKEY=3339CNC72

Tucker ME. Semaglutide 2.4 mg reduces all-cause hospital admissions. Medscape. November 4, 2024. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/semaglutide-2-4-mg-reduces-all-cause-hospital-admissions-2024a1000k3a