Evidence receipt
SELECT: what the trial found
A plain-language summary of one study: who took part, what they got, what it was compared with, what happened in each group, its limits and who paid for it. One trial. Results are group averages, not a prediction for any one person.
Study: SELECT[1]
Does semaglutide 2.4 mg reduce heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths in people with heart disease and overweight or obesity, without diabetes?
- Who was in it
- 17,604 adults aged 45 or older with established cardiovascular disease, BMI 27 or more, without diabetes
- What they got
- Semaglutide 2.4 mg injection once a week, on top of standard care
- Compared with
- Placebo, on top of standard care
- How long
- Average follow-up of 39.8 months
- What happened
- Heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death: 6.5% on semaglutide vs 8.0% on placebo. 16.6% vs 8.2% stopped treatment because of side effects.
- Relative effect
- Hazard ratio 0.80 (95% CI 0.72–0.90)
- Limits
- Only people who already had cardiovascular disease
- Many people stopped the study drug
- Funded by
- Novo Nordisk
Summary by Joshua Nichvolodoff, from the published paper — not written by the study's authors. Clinical review: not yet reviewed by a clinician.
Sources
- Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in obesity without diabetes (SELECT). New England Journal of Medicine, December 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37952131/ · DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa2307563 · PMID 37952131. Accessed November 2, 2026. Back to the text
Discussed in: Semaglutide, explained · Wegovy, explained
General information, not medical advice.