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Weight-loss drug could benefit millions of U.S. adults

Treatment with Wegovy could reduce obesity and prevent heart attack, stroke, UCI study concludes

August 17, 2023
uci professor nathan wong smiling behind preventive cardiology textbook; wong is principal investigator of a study of wegovy, showing that it reduces heart attack, heart disease and stroke
Nathan Wong, PhD, is the study’s principal investigator and director of the UCI School of Medicine’s Heart Disease Prevention Program.

IN THE NEWS: The weight-loss drug Wegovy has risks, but a UCI study has found that its potential benefits ― a reduction in the risk of heart attack and stroke after 10 years of treatment ― outweigh them.

CNBC logo with rainbow peacock and black CNBC lettersNathan Wong, PhD, the study’s principal investigator and director of the UCI School of Medicine’s Heart Disease Prevention Program, spoke to CNBC about semaglutide, known by the brand name Wegovy.

“It is one of the biggest advances in the obesity and cardiovascular medicine world. We now have a weight-control therapy that also significantly reduces cardiovascular events beyond the diabetes population where it was originally studied.”

Wong, a cardiovascular epidemiologist, is a professor in the UCI School of Medicine’s Division of Cardiology. His primary research interests are subclinical atherosclerosis and lipid and diabetes management. He is an international lecturer and the author of more than 350 papers and co-editor of seven textbooks. He receives research funding through the university from the pharmaceutical companies Novo Nordisk, Lilly and Novartis, and is a consultant for Novartis.

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