New research shows that treatment of heart failure patients with a type of anti-obesity medication reduces the environmental footprint of healthcare, as well as improving clinical outcomes.  

People being treated for heart failure with GLP-1 receptor antagonists used 0.25 kg CO₂-equivalent less per person annually, compared to patients with heart failure taking a placebo. When this saving is scaled to the millions of people eligible for the treatment, the findings suggest that 2 billion kilograms of CO₂-equivalent could be saved annually. 

The study is one of the first to quantify the environmental co-benefits of pharmacologic treatment. The authors hope that studies like this will empower policy makers, clinicians and patients to consider environmental outcomes alongside clinical outcomes in the future.