It’s almost impossible these days to live in western Oklahoma and not know someone taking a prescription weight-loss drug. Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound, and Mounjaro have quickly moved from niche treatments to everyday names in our community. With nearly four in ten Oklahomans carrying obesity—a rate of 38.2%, well above the national average—the use of these prescriptions is growing fast.
Now, a new claim about their impact on heart health is making national headlines. Novo Nordisk, the maker of Wegovy (semaglutide), announced last week that its medication was associated with a 57% reduction in heart attacks, strokes, or deaths when compared to Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide-based drugs, Zepbound and Mounjaro. The data came from a real-world study called STEER, presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in London and touted in a company press release.
On the surface, the numbers sound dramatic. But there are several important caveats: - Press release science: The findings haven’t been published in a peer-reviewed journal, meaning outside experts haven’t had a chance to examine the raw data or methods.
- Short follow-up time: Patients in the study were tracked for only a few months. That’s a very short window to judge long-term heart protection.
- Small event counts: Only 15 people in the Wegovy group had a heart attack, stroke, or died, compared to 39 in the tirzepatide group. Put simply: this entire headline-grabbing percentage is based on a difference of just 24 people.
- Observational design: This wasn’t a randomized trial. That means the results show an association, not proof of cause and effect.
Doctors also point out that this isn’t just a matter of thinner people automatically being healthier. GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound appear to work directly on the body in ways that can protect the heart — lowering blood sugar swings, reducing inflammation, and possibly stabilizing the fatty plaques in arteries that lead to heart attacks. That may explain why even after adjusting for weight loss, Wegovy has shown cardiovascular benefits in other trials.
In fact, a large clinical trial called SELECT, published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that Wegovy reduced major cardiovascular events by about 20% compared to placebo. Unlike STEER, SELECT was randomized and peer-reviewed, adding more credibility to the findings.
For many families here, these prescriptions now sit right next to blood pressure pills and cholesterol meds in the bathroom cabinet. With Oklahoma ranking among the top three states in adult obesity, the popularity of these drugs is growing rapidly here at home. That makes it even more important to separate marketing claims from proven medical fact.
The bottom line: these drugs may well help the heart, but Oklahomans shouldn’t let a press release replace proven medical advice. The clearest benefits remain the ones doctors already know — weight loss, lower blood pressure, and improved blood sugar. All of those help reduce cardiovascular risk, whether the drug provides an extra boost or not.
