Lower risk of cardiovascular events in patients initiated on semaglutide 2.4 mg in the real-world: Results from the SCORE study (Semaglutide Effects on Cardiovascular Outcomes in People with Overweight or Obesity in the Real World)

Abstract

Aims

In this first interim analysis of the SCORE study, we investigated the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) among individuals with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and overweight/obesity but without diabetes who initiated semaglutide 2.4 mg in real-world settings.

Materials and Methods

Individuals initiating semaglutide 2.4 mg aged ≥45 years with ASCVD and overweight/obesity but without diabetes were identified in a US database (01/01/2016–12/31/2023) and matched 1:2 to those not on semaglutide based on a non-parsimonious propensity-score model. The primary outcomes included revised 3-point MACE (rMACE-3: myocardial infarction, stroke, and all-cause mortality) and revised 5-point MACE (rMACE-5: rMACE-3, coronary revascularisation, and hospitalisation for heart failure). Secondary outcomes included MACE-3 and MACE-5, defined similarly to rMACE-3 and rMACE-5 but replacing all-cause mortality with cardiovascular-related mortality. Exploratory outcomes included incident type 2 diabetes, major adverse kidney events, and major obesity-related adverse events.

Results

A total of 9321 individuals on semaglutide 2.4 mg were matched to 18,642 individuals not on semaglutide; patient characteristics were well-balanced between cohorts. Over a mean follow-up of 200 days, semaglutide 2.4 mg was associated with significantly lower risks of rMACE-5 (hazard ratio: 0.55; p < 0.001), rMACE-3 (0.43; p < 0.001), MACE-5 (0.65; p < 0.001), and MACE-3 (0.58; p < 0.01). Semaglutide 2.4 mg was also associated with lower risks of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular-related mortality, hospitalisation for heart failure, and all exploratory outcomes.

Conclusions

In this real-world study of US individuals with ASCVD and overweight/obesity but without diabetes, semaglutide 2.4 mg was associated with significantly reduced risk of MACEs and other obesity-related morbidities (NCT06874751).