Co-authors included Saroj Adhikari and Pratikshya Silwal, agricultural economics and agribusiness department post-doctoral researchers, and Jayson Lusk, professor, vice president and dean of Oklahoma State Universitys Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
A new 2026 study clarifies the muscle loss issue

SELECT Trial: The Evidence for CV Coverage The SELECT trial (published in NEJM, November 2023) demonstrated that Wegovy reduces cardiovascular events: [27] 20% reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) Includes heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular death 17,604 participants followed for ~3.3 years All participants had established cardiovascular disease plus obesity/overweight Typical Plan Coverage Criteria for CV Indication Medicare plans that cover Wegovy for cardiovascular risk reduction typically require: Clinical Criteria Established cardiovascular disease (prior heart attack, stroke, or peripheral artery disease) BMI (body mass index) 27 kg/m No Type 2 diabetes (or T2D not adequately controlled) Concurrent lifestyle modifications (diet and exercise) Required Documentation Cardiology records documenting established CVD Current BMI (height and weight within last 30 days) Letter of Medical Necessity from cardiologist or primary care provider Documentation of lifestyle modification attempts ICD-10 Codes for CV vs

Author contributions SK: Writing review & editing, Investigation, Supervision, Writing original draft, Formal analysis, Conceptualization, Validation, Project administration, Methodology, Visualization
Patients who use weight loss drugs often experience relatively minor side effects like nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal pain