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New analysis suggests Wegovy (semaglutide injection) 2.4 mg could save the NHS £2.5 billion in healthcare costs and could be estimated to prevent a cardiovascular event every 9 minutes over a period of 15 years in the UK

September 2, 2025 – –

Gatwick, UK, August 31 2025 – Novo Nordisk today presented data at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) congress showing that using Wegovy (semaglutide injection) 2.4 mg over a 15-year period in the UK could potentially lead to an additional 1.6 million years of life (95% CI: 0.4 – 2.7 million) due to the prevention of 900,000 CVD events (95% CI: 0.4 -1.2 million).

The RE-SELECT data also showed this prevention of CVD events could lead to a potential NHS saving of approximately £2.5 billion (95% CI: 1.2 – 4.2 billion) in CV complication-related healthcare costs, due averted heart attacks, strokes and heart failure admissions or urgent visits, with half attributed to avoided major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Further reductions in kidney disease and progression to diabetes could result in an additional £7 billion (95% CI: 2.0–12.1 billion) in savings. These savings would contribute towards offsetting the investment in treatment.

“Every year, heart and circulatory diseases cause around a quarter of all deaths in the UK. With this RE-SELECT analysis we have further evidence to suggest that Wegovy (semaglutide 2.4 mg) could help to prevent nearly one million cardiovascular events in the UK over a 15 year period – one every 9 minutes for 15 years,” said Sebnem Avsar Tuna, General Manager of Novo Nordisk UK. “This analysis builds on the landmark SELECT trial, that showed that semaglutide 2.4 mg decreased heart disease in people with overweight or obesity and high cardiovascular risk, and shows that semaglutide 2.4 mg might also provide an additional 1.6 million years of life for people with cardiovascular disease in the UK.”

The RE-SELECT study applied SELECT trial criteria to a UK cohort from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and Hospital Episode Statistics, with an average follow-up of 8.4 years. Using an economic model calibrated to real-world event rates, the study projected the impact of semaglutide over 15 years. However, as with any simulation study, the findings are subject to limitations arising from model assumptions and simplifications, which may not fully capture the complexity of real-world clinical and economic outcomes.

A separate study called STEER, also presented today at ESC and also based on the SELECT trial, but based on US insurance claims data, found that adults aged 45 and above with overweight or obesity and established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) without pre-existing diabetes, taking semaglutide 2.4 mg had a lower risk of cardiac events than those taking tirzepatide (hazard ratio [HR], 0.75 [95% CI, 0.58-0.97]; P =0.027). This study follows the real-world evidence study, SCORE, which analysed data from the same US claims database, showed semaglutide 2.4 mg was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and mortality outcomes among adults living with overweight or obesity and established cardiovascular disease (CVD), compared with non-users.

The findings showed that semaglutide was associated with a significantly lower risk of revised 5-point MACE compared to tirzepatide. In the intention-to-treat analysis, 98 (1.1%) of patients in the semaglutide group experienced revised 5-point MACE with an incidence rate of 16.6 events per 1,000 patient-years versus 138 (1.6%) of patients in the tirzepatide group experiencing revised 5-point MACE with an incidence rate of 22.2, with a hazard ratio of 0.75 (95% CI, 0.58–0.97; P=0.027). The per-protocol sensitivity analysis further supported this result, showing a hazard ratio of 0.49 (95% CI, 0.33–0.75; P<0.001).

STEER is a real-world observational study which compared the incidence of revised 5-point MACE among adults aged 45 and above with overweight or obesity and established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), without diabetes, in patients initiating semaglutide or tirzepatide for weight management. The study included 17,000 patients with a propensity score-matched cohort of 8,689 patients in each treatment group, and the analysis applied both intention-to-treat and per-protocol approaches. The primary endpoint was a revised 5-point MACE composite, including myocardial infarction, stroke, hospitalisation for heart failure, coronary revascularisation, and all-cause mortality. Real-world study data can provide valuable insights into how treatments work outside of controlled trial settings. However, such studies often also have significant limitations which mean caution should be applied when trying to interpret the results. As in all observational studies, results may reflect residual unmeasured confounding; while associations can be demonstrated, causal relationships cannot be definitively established. The data in STEER were collected for administrative purposes, not clinical research, and there may be misclassification. This is an observational study and does not compare doses directly. The relatively recent approval of these medications limits follow-up duration, restricting the assessment of long-term benefits. Additionally, use of retrospective claims data may exclude patients with intermittent coverage or underserved populations, potentially further limiting both interpretability and generalisability. Additionally, safety data or adverse events were not specifically sought as part of the STEER study.