Research: Novo Nordisk's weight loss drug can reduce the mortality rate of COVID-19

A recent study found that people taking the key active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's popular weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, semaglutide, have a lower likelihood of dying after contracting the novel coronavirus. Research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) last Friday showed that people receiving a weekly injection of 2.4 mg of semaglutide may still be susceptible to contracting the virus, but the risk of death is 33% lower compared to those not taking the medication. The study also found that the health benefits of semaglutide may extend far beyond reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Co-author Benjamin Scirica noted that in his research, patients treated with semaglutide experienced a 29% reduction in mortality from non-cardiac causes, with weight not appearing to be the "primary mediating factor" for this outcome. This large-scale study, conducted before and after the outbreak of the pandemic, involved over 17,600 overweight or obese heart disease patients without diabetes. Other research published in JACC last Friday further demonstrated that semaglutide can improve symptoms of heart failure, inflammation, and reduce mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease. These findings are expected to further boost the stock price of Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic. In the highly competitive global weight-loss drug market, Novo Nordisk, with its semaglutide-based treatment drugs, briefly became the most valuable company in Europe. Regarding the paper published last Friday, Harlan Krumholz, professor at Yale School of Medicine and editor of JACC, stated: "I've started to think of weight loss as almost a side effect, meaning these drugs are actually promoting health. I'm primarily concerned about cardiovascular metabolic health, but semaglutide may be making us healthier through multiple mechanisms, which in a way suggests it's helping us resist the adverse effects of the pandemic." Despite showing many health benefits, semaglutide also needs to be monitored for potential negative side effects. A study from Harvard Medical School this year found that the use of weight-loss drugs may be associated with an increased risk of a rare eye disease. Krumholz emphasized that further research is still necessary