Weight-loss medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy may help prevent life-threatening complications following a heart attack, new research indicates.
The study, conducted by heart health experts in the UK, found that GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs could reduce the risk of tissue damage that affects nearly half of the 100,000 heart attack patients each year in the UK. Researchers believe these drugs could offer “a promising new therapeutic approach for improving heart attack recovery.”
Previously, GLP-1 drugs were known to lower the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes. This is the first study suggesting they could be repurposed to treat complications that occur after a heart attack.
Dr Svetlana Mastitskaya, the study’s lead author and a senior lecturer at Bristol University’s medical school, explained that nearly half of all heart attack patients experience a condition called “no-reflow,” where tiny blood vessels in the heart remain narrowed despite emergency treatment restoring the main artery.
“This results in blood being unable to reach certain areas of heart tissue, increasing the risk of death or hospital readmission for heart failure within a year,” Mastitskaya said. “Our findings are surprising in that GLP-1 drugs may prevent this problem.”
The trial, funded by the British Heart Foundation and conducted in collaboration with University College London, was carried out using animal models. Researchers caution that human trials are needed to confirm whether the benefits are replicated in patients.
Prof David Attwell, co-lead of the study from UCL, described GLP-1 drugs as “a potentially life-saving solution” for patients affected by no-reflow. Mastitskaya added that, in the future, paramedics could administer these medications during transport to hospital or during surgical procedures to reopen blocked arteries, though clinical trials are required first.
The reasons why no-reflow occurs so frequently after a heart attack remain unclear. Prof Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation, said: “This research suggests that mimicking the action of the GLP‑1 hormone may improve blood flow through microvessels and could one day play a role in heart attack treatment. Large clinical trials of GLP‑1 medicines have already shown cardiovascular benefits beyond weight loss, and this study offers a potential explanation for those effects.”
The study’s findings are published in Nature Communications and mark a significant step toward exploring new uses for existing medications in emergency cardiac care.
