The Novo Nordisk NVO, +0.58% obesity drug semaglutide, marketed as Wegovy, can significantly reduce symptoms related to heart failure, according to a study published Friday in the New England Journal of Medicine. On a questionnaire measuring the symptoms and physical limitations of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, patients on Wegovy showed an average increase of 16.6 points at 52 weeks, compared with 8.7 points on placebo, according to the study. The Wegovy patients improved their six-minute walking distance and had reduced inflammation, the study found. The Wegovy patients also lost an average 13.3% of body weight, compared with 2.6% for those on placebo. The results come just two weeks after Novo Nordisk released study results showing that semaglutide can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Novo Nordisk’s American depositary receipts were down 0.3% premarket on Friday and have gained 37% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 SPX, +0.67% is up 14%.
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