Ozempic and similar drugs have been thrust into the spotlight for their weight-loss effects, promising new research keeps finding other potential uses for it, such as treating substance use disorder. Now, a new paper describes how the drug fares in lowering risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
A new study led by researchers at Case Western Reserve University found that in patients with type 2 diabetes who were treated with semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, their risk of developing Alzheimer’s was reduced by up to 70 percent compared to those who used typical diabetes medications. Currently there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, and affirmation that a drug could help prevent it would add a powerful tool to our medical arsenal. The paper was published Thursday in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
The authors analyzed three years of electronic health records of over 1 million U.S. patients over 60 with type 2 diabetes with no prior Alzheimer’s diagnosis. These patients also had at least one other underlying conditions like obesity or heart disease, and hadn’t used a diabetes drug in the past 6 months. The team compared semaglutide — in the form of Ozempic — with seven other diabetes medications like metformin, insulin, and liraglutide, which belongs to the same drug class as semaglutide. They found that Ozempic use was associated with a 40 to 70 percent lower risk of Alzheimer’s compared to the other drugs, with the most pronounced difference showing up between Ozempic and insulin. This correlation remained consistent across age, gender, and weight.
Those with type 2 diabetes are a high-risk group for Alzheimer’s disease. This study shows that while semaglutide treats the disease itself — that was what Ozempic’s first intended use was — it’s also associated with a dramatically reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The paper also notes that while the underlying mechanisms behind this association are still unknown, they could reflect semaglutide’s benefits on other risk factors for Alzheimer’s, including obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
This team isn’t the only one who’s onto semaglutide’s promise for potentially treating Alzheimer’s disease. Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that manufactures Ozempic and Wegovy, is also investigating semaglutide and Alzheimer’s. It’s currently conducting two phase 3 clinical trials comparing the drug to a placebo in over 3,000 people with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment. The results are expected to come out next year, possibly shedding more light on semaglutide’s potential.
