Wegovy cuts heart risk by 57% over Zepbound in real-world study

Novo Nordisk's Wegovy reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events by 57% compared to Eli Lilly's Zepbound in a new observational study of patients with obesity and heart disease.

Why it matters: This sharp drop in risk could position Wegovy as the leading weight-loss drug for patients with cardiovascular conditions, a key differentiator as competition with Zepbound intensifies.

Backstory: Wegovy already showed a 20% CV benefit in the SELECT trial, which led to FDA and EU label expansions. The new data, presented at ESC 2025, comes from the STEER study, a real-world analysis of over 21,000 U.S. adults without diabetes.

Zoom in: In the STEER trial, patients on Wegovy saw just 15 CV events vs. 39 on Zepbound. Across all users (including those with treatment gaps), Wegovy still reduced risk by 29%. Wegovy also recently gained an indication for MASH and is awaiting FDA approval for an oral version.

Big picture: While both drugs are reshaping the obesity treatment landscape, Novo is setting Wegovy apart with proven heart protection, a critical parameter as cardiovascular outcomes play a growing role in drug approvals and reimbursement decisions.