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Clinical Impact of Weight-Loss Pharmacotherapy in Patients with Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease

Charles Pirlet1, Paul Poirier1,2, Tomas Cieza1

  • 1Quebec Heart and Lung Institute, 2725, Chemin Ste Foy, Quebec, QC, G1V 4G5, Canada.

American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs : Drugs, Devices, and Other Interventions
|August 20, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Obesity contributes to cardiovascular disease. While lifestyle changes are recommended, weight-loss drugs offer modest benefits and have shown cardiovascular safety in recent trials.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Endocrinology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension, dyslipidemia, and type 2 diabetes.
  • Current guidelines recommend lifestyle modifications for obesity management before considering bariatric surgery.
  • Despite efforts, many individuals struggle with significant weight loss or experience weight regain through lifestyle changes alone.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent clinical trials on weight-loss pharmacotherapy.
  • To assess the efficacy and cardiovascular safety of available weight-loss medications.
  • To evaluate the clinical impact of these agents in patients with atherosclerotic CVD.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent regulatory-mandated efficacy and cardiovascular safety trials for weight-loss pharmacotherapeutic agents.
  • Focus on studies involving patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Main Results:

  • Weight-loss pharmacotherapy demonstrates modest efficacy in inducing weight loss.
  • Recent trials indicate that some weight-loss medications are safe for cardiovascular use.
  • Evidence is emerging on the clinical utility of these agents in managing obesity-related CVD.

Conclusions:

  • Weight-loss pharmacotherapy can be considered as an adjunct to lifestyle modifications for patients with obesity.
  • Demonstrated cardiovascular safety of certain agents is a significant advancement.
  • Further research is needed to fully elucidate the role of pharmacotherapy in managing atherosclerotic CVD in patients with obesity.

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