---
title: Mounjaro Can Now Be Prescribed to Lower Heart Attack and Stroke Risk in Type 2 Diabetes
description: The FDA cleared Mounjaro to lower cardiovascular risk in adults with type 2 diabetes, based on a trial where it matched an older heart-protective drug.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
updated: 2026-08-28T15:20:09.763Z
canonical: https://richhealthmagazine.com/article/mounjaro-cardiovascular-risk-fda-approval
categories: Longevity & Science
content_type: News
region: United States
publication: Rich Health Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

The FDA has approved Mounjaro to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, and stroke in adults with type 2 diabetes who are at high risk for those events. For the many people who already take the once-weekly injection to manage their blood sugar, the same medicine now carries a formal, FDA-backed reason to expect some protection for the heart as well.

The new use is written for a specific group. It covers adults with type 2 diabetes who face a high risk of a cardiac event, and the clearest evidence behind it comes from people who already have cardiovascular disease. It is not a heart claim for everyone who takes the drug.

That evidence comes from a study called SURPASS-CVOT, which enrolled 13,299 adults who had both type 2 diabetes and established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and followed them for a median of about four years. Rather than comparing Mounjaro to a dummy injection, the trial tested it head to head against dulaglutide, sold as Trulicity, an older Lilly drug that already lowers cardiac risk. Over the study, a major cardiovascular event occurred in [12 percent of the people taking Mounjaro and 13 percent of those taking dulaglutide, a difference that met the statistical bar for non-inferiority but did not reach significance for superiority](https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/journal-scans/2026/01/07/14/20/surpass-cvot).

Mounjaro matched a medicine already shown to guard the heart, rather than proving it worked better. The trial, led by Stephen J. Nicholls and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, had no placebo group, and its authors noted limitations including limited diversity among participants and some imbalances between the two groups.

The approval also puts Mounjaro alongside a rival. Novo Nordisk's semaglutide, the molecule in Ozempic, already holds a cardiovascular indication in type 2 diabetes, so Mounjaro now joins it rather than entering new territory. The two labels rest on different comparisons: semaglutide's heart benefit was measured against a placebo, while Mounjaro's was measured against an active drug that was itself protective.

"For people with type 2 diabetes, heart disease is the leading cause of death, and Mounjaro now gives them a proven way to lower that risk, adding to the strong foundation it has already built in A1C and weight," said Kenneth Custer, Ph.D., an executive vice president at Lilly. The company also points to a wider gap in care: it estimates that as many as one in three U.S. adults with type 2 diabetes have undetected cardiovascular disease, and it describes Mounjaro as the most prescribed branded type 2 diabetes medicine for adults in the country.

David A. D'Alessio, M.D., a study co-author and director of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Duke University School of Medicine, framed the reason cardiac risk belongs in routine diabetes care. "Heart health deserves attention throughout the course of treatment, not just after a serious cardiovascular event," D'Alessio said. "While a large portion of type 2 diabetes care is focused on glucose control, mitigating cardiovascular risk is essential and can be overlooked."

The medicine's safety profile is unchanged by the new use. The most common side effects in the trial were gastrointestinal, generally mild to moderate and most likely to appear as the dose is increased. Mounjaro also carries a boxed warning about the risk of thyroid tumors, including thyroid cancer. Whether the drug is a fit for any one person, and at what dose, is a decision for that person and their doctor.

## FAQ

**Q: Does Mounjaro lower the risk of heart attack and stroke?**
The FDA now says it can, for adults with type 2 diabetes who are at high risk. In the trial behind the approval, major cardiovascular events happened in 12 percent of people on Mounjaro compared with 13 percent on an older drug, dulaglutide. The result was strong enough to earn the heart claim, though it did not show Mounjaro was better than that comparison drug.

**Q: Who qualifies for this cardiovascular benefit?**
The label is for adults with type 2 diabetes who are at high risk for a cardiac event. The trial itself enrolled people who already had established cardiovascular disease, so that is the group with the clearest supporting evidence. Your doctor can say whether it applies to your situation.

**Q: Is Mounjaro better than Trulicity or Ozempic for the heart?**
Against Trulicity (dulaglutide), the trial showed Mounjaro matched it rather than beat it. It was not tested head to head against Ozempic (semaglutide), which already carries its own heart claim, so there is no direct comparison between those two.

**Q: Does the heart benefit apply if I take tirzepatide for weight loss rather than diabetes?**
This approval and the trial behind it were in adults with type 2 diabetes. The evidence does not speak to tirzepatide taken purely for weight loss under a different brand, so do not assume the heart claim carries over. Ask your prescriber.

**Q: What is SURPASS-CVOT?**
It is the study that won Mounjaro this approval: a double-blind trial of 13,299 adults with type 2 diabetes and existing cardiovascular disease, run across 640 sites in 30 countries and followed for about four years, comparing Mounjaro with dulaglutide.