NHS to offer semaglutide to 1.2 million patients to cut heart attack risk

The NHS is set to offer weight-loss injections to around 1.2 million people in England in an effort to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

New guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommends the use of semaglutide, a drug also known as Wegovy and Ozempic, for patients who have previously suffered a heart attack or stroke. The aim is to lower the likelihood of a further serious cardiovascular event.

Under the guidance, the treatment will be available to patients with a history of heart conditions who also have a body mass index of more than 27.

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the UK, with approximately 200,000 people experiencing a heart attack or stroke each year. The expansion of access to semaglutide is intended to address this ongoing public health challenge.

Semaglutide belongs to a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. These medicines were originally developed to treat diabetes but have become more widely used as weight-loss treatments in recent years.

Previously, improvements in heart health linked to these drugs were believed to result mainly from weight loss. However, recent clinical evidence suggests that semaglutide may also have a direct effect on the circulatory system.

According to Nice, trials indicate that the medication can reduce the risk of major heart events by around 20 per cent. One study involving more than 17,000 participants found a significant reduction in the likelihood of heart attacks, strokes or related deaths among those taking the drug.

The guidance recommends that semaglutide should be prescribed alongside existing treatments for heart conditions. This includes the use of statins, as well as continued advice on diet and exercise.

The NHS expects the rollout of the treatment to begin in the coming months. The move represents a significant increase in the availability of GLP-1 drugs across the health service.

Current prescribing levels are considerably lower. Fewer than half a million injections are currently given for diabetes or weight loss, but the expansion could see prescriptions rise sharply.

Health minister Sharon Hodgson described the drugs as a “game-changer” in tackling obesity. She said extending their use to people with cardiovascular disease could help save lives.

She added that the government is committed to ensuring the NHS provides access to the treatment for those who need it most, and that the new guidance could benefit more than a million people.

Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at Nice, said the evidence supporting the use of semaglutide is strong. She noted that patients who have already experienced a heart attack or stroke often live with the fear of another event.

She said the trial results showed that people taking the medication alongside their existing treatments were significantly less likely to experience another serious cardiovascular incident.

Helen Williams, national clinical director for cardiovascular disease prevention at NHS England, said the treatment could be life-changing for those at high risk.

She said it offers a new way to help protect patients’ hearts while improving overall health outcomes.

The rollout marks a major step in the NHS’s approach to preventing further heart attacks and strokes, with the potential to expand access to a treatment that has shown promising results in clinical trials.