Ozempic linked to lower Alzheimer's risk in people with Type 2 diabetes
Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, appeared to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in people with Type 2 diabetes, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, appeared to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in people with Type 2 diabetes, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
The study adds to evidence that GLP-1 drugs — the class of medications that also includes Mounjaro and Zepbound — may benefit the brain.
In July, research presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference found that a GLP-1 drug similar to semaglutide — called liraglutide — was linked to slower cognitive decline in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease who didn’t have diabetes. Another study, published in August, found that semaglutide appeared to cut the risk of dementia in people with Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic and Wegovy, is running two phase 3 clinical trials comparing semaglutide to a placebo in more than 3,000 patients with mild cognitive impairment or early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. The trial results are expected to be released sometime next year.
If those trial results are positive, semaglutide “would be a game changer, adding a whole new treatment option that we didn’t previously have in our tool kit,” said Dr. Stephen Salloway, a professor of neurology at Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Rhode Island.
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