CagriSema Reduces Blood Pressure in Adults With Overweight or Obesity: REDEFINE 1.
The REDEFINE 1 trial was a phase 3a, 68-week randomized controlled trial that evaluated the blood pressure (BP) effects of CagriSema (a fixed-dose combination of semaglutide 2.4 mg and cagrilintide 2.4 mg) in 3,417 adults without diabetes who had overweight or obesity, with or without obesity-related complications. Participants were randomized to once-weekly CagriSema, semaglutide alone, cagrilintide alone, or placebo, alongside lifestyle intervention. Secondary and post hoc analyses focused on antihypertensive outcomes. The study found that CagriSema was associated with greater reductions in systolic BP (−10.9 vs. −2.8 mmHg) and diastolic BP (−5.4 vs. −1.7 mmHg) compared to placebo at week 68. A higher proportion of CagriSema participants reached BP targets (63.0% vs. 32.0%). Among those with resistant hypertension at baseline, BP target attainment was 42.0% vs. 29.3% (OR 1.7; 95% CI 0.7–4.4), though the confidence interval crossed 1. Notably, 39.6% of CagriSema participants on antihypertensive medications reduced or stopped treatment versus 18.8% with placebo. Limitations include that BP outcomes were secondary/post hoc endpoints, not primary, which limits causal inference strength for these specific findings.
Why this grade: While this is a large phase 3a RCT in humans, the blood pressure outcomes analyzed were secondary and post hoc endpoints rather than pre-specified primary endpoints, moderating the strength of evidence for these specific claims.
Background Fixed-dose combination of semaglutide/cagrilintide (CagriSema 2.4 mg/2.4 mg) has demonstrated significant and clinically relevant body weight reductions in adults with overweight or obesity compared with placebo. Methods The phase 3a, 68-week REDEFINE 1 trial randomized adults without diabetes with body mass index ≥30 kg/m 2 , or ≥27 kg/m 2 with ≥1 obesity-related complication, to once-weekly CagriSema 2.4 mg/2.4 mg, semaglutide 2.4 mg, cagrilintide 2.4 mg, or placebo, plus lifestyle intervention. Secondary and post hoc analyses evaluated the antihypertensive effect from REDEFINE 1, focusing on CagriSema and placebo groups, by subgroup/category, including baseline body mass index, the presence of hypertension or resistant hypertension at baseline, and concomitant changes in the use of antihypertensive medications. Results Overall, 3417 participants underwent randomization; CagriSema: n=2108, semaglutide: n=302, cagrilintide: n=302, and placebo: n=705. Changes from baseline to week 68 in blood pressure (BP) were greater with CagriSema versus placebo (systolic BP: -10.9 versus -2.8 mm Hg; diastolic BP: -5.4 versus -1.7 mm Hg, respectively). The proportion of participants reaching BP targets at week 68 was 63.0% and 32.0% for CagriSema and placebo, respectively. The proportion of participants with resistant hypertension at baseline (n=167) that reached BP targets at week 68 was 42.0% and 29.3% for CagriSema and placebo, respectively (odds ratio, 1.7 [95% CI, 0.7-4.4]). Among participants who used antihypertensive medication during the study, 39.6% in the CagriSema group decreased or stopped treatment from week 0 to week 68 versus 18.8% with placebo. Conclusions CagriSema presents clinically relevant reductions in BP across a wide range of participant subgroups, including those with resistant hypertension. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT05567796.
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