UVA-led research shows weight loss drug can reduce heart failure risk

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - A drug that doctors prescribe to help patients lose weight can actually reduce the risk of heart failure in some patients, according to a UVA study.

Dr. Christopher Kramer, Chief of UVA Health’s Cardiovascular Division, helped lead a study of over 700 people. The findings of the clinical trial were published just this past weekend.

Tirzepatide, an injectable drug similar to Ozempic, has been on the market for years, but typically only for people with Type 2 diabetes who are trying to lose weight.

Now, doctors have discovered the drug’s potentially life-changing side effects.

“These drugs were developed primarily as weight loss drugs, and then it was noted that they had all these ancillary benefits on obstructive sleep apnea, arthritis, heart failure,” said Dr. Kramer. “The list keeps growing.”

Dr. Kramer says cardiologists have been looking for treatments for patients with preserved ejection fraction, a form of heart failure, for years.

“Unfortunately, obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is a growing problem in the U.S. and around the world because of the increasing overweight and obesity problem that we face,” said Dr. Kramer.

Now, they’ve found one, in a drug that already exists. Researchers who participated in the trial monitored 731 patients over a two-year time period and found an associated decrease in heart failure events in the patients who received the tirzepatide.

Negative side effects included primarily vomiting or diarrhea, but Dr. Kramer says some researchers believe there may be an associated risk of muscle mass loss, though it needs further investigation.

“There was really no difference in death, but the major difference was in heart failure events significantly reduced,” said Dr. Kramer. “Patients felt better able to walk further, do more of their activities.”

The biggest problem now is getting these drugs to the people who need them. Dr. Kramer says they are working to get the FDA approval to prescribe it to heart failure patients.

“It’s hard to get these medications for even patients who it’s indicated for now, there’s just not enough of them around,” said Dr. Kramer. “They need to be more accessible... I think this is clearly a new indication for these drugs that seem to be good for multiple different conditions.”

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