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✓ Independent editorial reviews · Updated June 1, 2026 · Educational only — not medical advice

Evidence review

Semaglutide Beyond Weight Loss: SELECT and FLOW Evidence

What the SELECT and FLOW trials showed about semaglutide's cardiovascular and kidney benefits, in plain language.

Published June 1, 2026 · GLP1 One Telehealth Editorial Team

Direct Answer

In SELECT (NEJM 2023), semaglutide cut major cardiovascular events by about 20% in adults with obesity and cardiovascular disease but without diabetes. In FLOW (NEJM 2024), it reduced major kidney and cardiovascular events by about 24% in type 2 diabetes with chronic kidney disease. Both used FDA-approved semaglutide, not compounded products.

Educational use only. This article is for educational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. Compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide are not FDA-approved finished drug products and should only be prescribed when clinically appropriate by a licensed healthcare provider.

~20%
lower major cardiovascular events — SELECT (2023)
~24%
lower kidney/CV events — FLOW (2024)
FDA-approved
semaglutide studied (not compounded)

Scope and limits

These trials studied specific populations with FDA-approved semaglutide under medical care. They do not establish the same outcomes for compounded products or for everyone. Any cardiovascular or kidney use should be clinician-directed.

Frequently asked questions

Does semaglutide protect the heart?

SELECT (2023) showed about a 20% reduction in major cardiovascular events in obesity with established cardiovascular disease.

Does semaglutide help the kidneys?

FLOW (2024) showed about a 24% reduction in major kidney and cardiovascular events in type 2 diabetes with CKD.

Do these benefits apply to compounded semaglutide?

No; these trials used FDA-approved semaglutide, not compounded products.

Sources

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