OBJECTIVES: Obesity and its cardiovascular complications are significant causes of morbidity and mortality. Newly approved anti-obesity medications (AOMs) have demonstrated effectiveness in managing obesity and reducing the risk for obesity-related complications. There is limited research using real-world data to explore the association between AOMs and cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study analyzed the impact of approved obesity medications, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, on CVD.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study utilizing Kythera Medicare claims data from JAN2020 to AUG2022. We identified two cohorts of patients with obesity: those treated with AOMs and those not treated with AOMs. The AOM cohort had at least one pharmacy claim for Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro between 01JAN2021 and 31AUG2022, (first prescription claim being considered the treatment initiation and index date), and at least one claim with a diagnosis of obesity before the index date. The non-AOM cohort had at least one claim with an obesity diagnosis during the baseline period (01JAN2020–01JAN2021), and a random sample of 10% of patients was included in the final sample. For risk comparison, we utilized Cox regression and Aalen’s additive regression.

RESULTS: We identified 5,926 patients treated with AOM, including Ozempic (5,404 patients), Wegovy (375 patients), and Mounjaro (147 patients). Hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and hyperlipidemia were the most common comorbidities. After risk adjustment, patients with AOM had a lower risk of heart failure (4.89% vs 6.13%, p<.0001), atrial fibrillation (3.83% vs 5.17%, p<.0001), arrhythmia (3.59% vs 4.14%, p<.0153) and peripheral vascular disease (3.44% vs 2.94%, p<.0395). Patients receiving AOMs showed an 8% risk reduction in any CVD. The protective effect on CVD was apparent over the first 375 days.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the utilization of AOMs effectively alleviates the high prevalence of CVD and its social and economic costs.