ESC

ESC 2025: Semaglutide outperformed tirzepatide in real-world cardiovascular outcomes

September 8, 2025

In the real-world STEER study presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2025, semaglutide 2.4 mg demonstrated a 57% greater reduction in the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) compared with tirzepatide in adults with obesity and established CVD who remained continuously on treatment for at least 30 days (4.4 vs. 10.3 incidence per 1000 patient years; hazard ratio [HR] 0.43; P=0.005). Among all treated patients, regardless of treatment gaps, Wegovy still showed a 29% risk reduction (7.6 vs. 10.8 incidence per 1000 patient years; HR 0.71, P=0.046).

The study used real-world data from the U.S. Komodo Research Database and included matched cohorts of patients ≥45 years old with BMI ≥27 kg/m² and ASCVD, excluding those with diabetes. Average follow-up was 8.3 months for semaglutide and 8.6 months for tirzepatide.

These findings reinforce semaglutide’s cardioprotective profile beyond weight loss, suggesting it may be the preferred GLP-1 option for patients with obesity and CVD.

Sources:

Wilson L, Zhenxiang Z, Divino V, et al. Semaglutide is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events compared with tirzepatide in patients with overweight or obesity and ASCVD and without diabetes in routine clinical practice. Results from the STEER study. Presented at the ESC Congress 2025 in Madrid, Spain. https://sciencehub.novonordisk.com/congresses/esc2025/wilson.html.

(2025, August 31). Novo Nordisk, Inc. Novo Nordisk's Wegovy® cuts risk of heart attack, stroke or death by 57% compared to tirzepatide in real-world study of people with obesity and cardiovascular disease [News release]. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/novo-nordisks-wegovy-cuts-risk-of-heart-attack-stroke-or-death-by-57-compared-to-tirzepatide-in-real-world-study-of-people-with-obesity-and-cardiovascular-disease-302542590.html