A study suggests that Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic may decrease the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease.

A study suggests that Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic may decrease the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease.
A study suggests that Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic may decrease the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease.
  • A recent analysis of electronic health records suggests that Novo Nordisk's popular diabetes medication, Ozempic, may decrease the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease.
  • Research indicates that GLP-1 treatments, including Ozempic, may delay or prevent memory loss in diabetes patients.
  • In comparison to seven other diabetes medications, semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, was found to decrease the risk of a first-time Alzheimer's diagnosis in diabetes patients by 40% to 70%.

A study released Thursday suggests that Ozempic, a blockbuster diabetes drug, may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, potentially delaying or preventing the memory-robbing condition.

Ozempic's active ingredient, semaglutide, was found to decrease the risk of a first-time Alzheimer's diagnosis by 40% to 70% in patients with Type 2 diabetes compared to seven other diabetes medications, including insulin and GLP-1 drugs similar to Ozempic, according to research.

The number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease is projected to increase to almost 13 million by 2050, making it the fifth-leading cause of death for adults over 65. In the mild dementia stage, individuals with Alzheimer's disease experience significant difficulties with memory and thinking. Currently, almost 7 million Americans are diagnosed with the condition.

While there are no cures for Alzheimer's, drugs that treat symptoms or slow progression are available. However, a potential preventive treatment like semaglutide may be even more beneficial, according to Dr. Rong Xu, a biomedical informatics professor at Case Western Reserve University.

Xu stated that many patients are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease when it's too late for treatment. However, she emphasized that many of the risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, and smoking, are preventable and modifiable.

GLP-1s, commonly used for weight loss and blood sugar regulation, may have additional health benefits, such as those seen in Ozempic, Wegovy, and other drugs that work similarly.

Eli Lilly and competitor Novo Nordisk are investigating their medications as possible treatments for long-term health conditions such as sleep apnea and fatty liver disease. While Novo Nordisk did not finance the new Case Western research, they are also conducting a late-stage study on semaglutide for Alzheimer's patients.

A new Case Western study released on Thursday adds to previous research from July on liraglutide, a drug used to treat diabetes and obesity, which is sold under the brand names Saxenda and Victoza. The study found that liraglutide may slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease by protecting patients' brains.

Researchers from Case Western analyzed electronic records of over 1 million US patients with diabetes without prior Alzheimer's diagnosis in a study partly funded by the National Institutes of Health, which was released on Thursday.

The research examined semaglutide against eight distinct diabetes medications, including insulin and metformin, as well as other GLP-1s like liraglutide and dulaglutide from Eli Lilly.

The study found that semaglutide was associated with a 70% lower risk of first-time Alzheimer's diagnosis compared to insulin, a 60% lower risk compared to metformin, and a 40% lower risk compared to other GLP-1s. Additionally, semaglutide was associated with significantly lower prescriptions for Alzheimer's disease-related medications.

Despite differences in gender, age, and obesity, all trial participants experienced similar reductions in risks.

Although the study relies on data from electronic health records, Xu suggested that more research, specifically clinical trials that randomly assign patients to receive semaglutide or other treatments, is necessary to confirm the effectiveness of Ozempic and other GLP-1s in preventing or delaying Alzheimer's disease.

Xu and his team of researchers plan to investigate whether GLP-1s can prevent Alzheimer's in patients with obesity. However, they want to wait for GLP-1s to be approved for weight loss to be on the market longer so they can gather more patient data to analyze. Wegovy was approved in the U.S. in 2021, while Eli Lilly's weight loss injection Zepbound entered the market last fall.

by Annika Kim Constantino

Business News