Summary: New research suggests that semaglutide, a popular diabetes and weight-loss drug, may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in people with type 2 diabetes. The study compared semaglutide to seven other anti-diabetic drugs and found it was linked to a significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
These results were consistent across different subgroups, regardless of age, gender, or obesity status. While the findings are promising, further clinical trials are needed to confirm semaglutide’s potential role in preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
Key Facts:
- Semaglutide may lower Alzheimer’s risk in people with type 2 diabetes.
- The study compared semaglutide to seven other anti-diabetic drugs.
- Further clinical trials are needed to confirm these findings.
Source: Case Western Reserve
Researchers at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine have found that, when compared to seven other anti-diabetic drugs, semaglutide, a popular diabetes and weight-loss drug, may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D).
Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, nearly 7 million Americans 65 and older are living with the disease, and there are more deaths from Alzheimer’s than breast and prostate cancer combined.
The study, published today in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, suggests T2D patients taking semaglutide had a significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
These results were consistent across different subgroups, including obesity status, gender and age.
Semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide receptor (GLP-1R) molecule that decreases hunger and helps regulate blood sugar in T2D, is also the active component in the diabetes and weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic.
The research team—led by biomedical informatics professor Rong Xu—analyzed three years of electronic records of nearly 1 million U.S. patients with T2D. The researchers used a statistical approach that mimics a randomized clinical trial.
They found patients prescribed semaglutide had a significantly lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease, compared to those who had taken any of seven other anti-diabetic medications, including other types of GLP-1R-targeting medications.
About 120,000 Americans die from Alzheimer’s disease each year, with the disease listed as the seventh-leading cause of death nationally, according to the CDC.
“This new study provides real-world evidence for its impact on Alzheimer’s disease, even though preclinical research has suggested that semaglutide may protect against neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation,” said Xu, who also directs the medical school’s Center for AI in Drug Discovery and is a member of the Cancer Genomics Epigenomics Program at the Case Cancer Comprehensive Center.
Although their findings potentially support the idea that semaglutide could prevent Alzheimer’s disease, the study’s limitations restrict the researchers from making firm causal conclusions, she said.
“Our results indicate that further research into semaglutide’s use will need to be further investigated through randomized clinical trials so alternative drugs can be tested as potential treatment for this debilitating illness,” Xu said.
Funding: Research reported in this press release was supported by the National Institute on Aging and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, both parts of the National Institutes of Health, under award numbers AG057557, AG061388, AG062272, AG076649, and TR004528. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
About this Alzheimer’s disease and neuropharmacology research news
Author: Patty Zamora
Source: Case Western Reserve
Contact: Patty Zamora – Case Western Reserve
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Associations of semaglutide with first-time diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in patients with type 2 diabetes: Target trial emulation using nationwide real-world data in the US” by Rong Xu et al. Alzheimer’s & Dementia
Abstract
Associations of semaglutide with first-time diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in patients with type 2 diabetes: Target trial emulation using nationwide real-world data in the US
INTRODUCTION
Emerging preclinical evidence suggests that semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity, protects against neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation. However, real-world evidence for its ability to protect against Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is lacking.
METHODS
We conducted emulation target trials based on a nationwide database of electronic health records (EHRs) of 116 million US patients. Seven target trials were emulated among 1,094,761 eligible patients with T2DM who had no prior AD diagnosis by comparing semaglutide with seven other antidiabetic medications. First-ever diagnosis of AD occurred within a 3-year follow-up period and was examined using Cox proportional hazards and Kaplan–Meier survival analyses.
RESULTS
Semaglutide was associated with significantly reduced risk for first-time AD diagnosis, most strongly compared with insulin (hazard ratio [HR], 0.33 [95% CI: 0.21 to 0.51]) and most weakly compared with other GLP-1RAs (HR, 0.59 [95% CI: 0.37 to 0.95]). Similar results were seen across obesity status, gender, and age groups.
DISCUSSION
These findings support further studies to assess semaglutide’s potential in preventing AD.
