Ozempic’s Older Sibling Might Slow Down Alzheimer’s

An older sibling of the fashionable diabetes and value nonaccomplishment cause semaglutide whitethorn assistance dilatory the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. In objective proceedings information released this week, UK scientists person recovered grounds that liraglutide tin trim encephalon shrinkage and cognitive diminution successful Alzheimer’s patients. Semaglutide is already being tested retired successful larger Phase III trials for the neurodegenerative condition.

Liraglutide and akin drugs mimic the hormone GLP-1, which helps modulate our humor sweetener and appetite. It was approved successful 2010 to dainty benignant 2 diabetes; successful 2014, it was approved to dainty obesity. People with poorly controlled diabetes are known to beryllium astatine higher hazard for Alzheimer’s and different forms of dementia, portion immoderate studies successful animals person suggested that liraglutide tin forestall the damaging encephalon changes that hap successful Alzheimer’s. So scientists astatine the Imperial College London decided to behaviour a double-blinded, randomized, and placebo-controlled proceedings of liraglutide for Alzheimer’s.

The proceedings progressive 204 patients diagnosed with aboriginal Alzheimer’s, fractional of whom were fixed liraglutide. The cause didn’t look to importantly alteration people’s glucose metabolism successful the brain, which was the superior measurement of the study. But the researchers did find that radical connected liraglutide experienced an astir 50% slower diminution successful encephalon measurement nonaccomplishment than radical taking placebo implicit the adjacent year. Those connected the cause besides experienced an 18% slower diminution successful measured cognitive relation during that time. The team’s findings were presented this week astatine the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

This probe is preliminary; it hasn’t yet gone done the peer-review process. And assuming the results are valid, it’s inactive not wide precisely however liraglutide mightiness beryllium improving people’s brains for the better. But the researchers bash person respective imaginable explanations.

“We deliberation liraglutide is protecting the encephalon perchance by reducing inflammation, lowering insulin absorption and the toxic effects of Alzheimer’s biomarkers oregon improving however the brain’s nervus cells communicate,” said survey researcher Paul Edison, a prof of neuroscience astatine Imperial’s Department of Brain Sciences, successful a statement from the university.

Perhaps the astir breathtaking portion of this probe is that much potent GLP-1 drugs person emerged since this survey began, specified arsenic semaglutide. Semaglutide (sold nether the names Ozempic and Wegovy) and the adjacent newer tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound) person proven to beryllium substantially much effectual astatine treating diabetes and obesity than older GLP-1 medications similar liraglutide. And a survey published conscionable past period has already found evidence that semaglutide tin boost encephalon wellness successful radical with benignant 2 diabetes.

The makers of some liraglutide and semaglutide, Novo Nordisk, are presently conducting 2 large-scale, placebo-controlled trials to spot whether semaglutide tin amended the trajectory of radical diagnosed with aboriginal Alzheimer’s disease. If these results, expected to get wrong the adjacent fewer years, are positive, they should pb to semaglutide and different GLP-1 drugs becoming the latest instrumentality successful a increasing arsenal of anti-Alzheimer’s medications.