Research finds Semaglutide may reduce dementia [Lancet Journal]
- Jul 12, 2024
- 1 min read
A study finds a drug known for weight loss may also help to reduce dementia.
The study looked at semaglutide, the scientific name for Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic, with the intent of looking at whether it caused neurological problems. Instead, it found a 48% decline in dementia relative to those who took sitagliptin, Merck’s diabetes drug that’s known as Januvia.
It also found a reduction of up to 28% in “nicotine misuse” and the same percentage decline in cognitive deficit vs. both sitagliptin and glipizide, the scientific name for Pfizer’s Glucotrol.
The study, published in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine journal, was based on electronic health records rather than a randomized trial.
John Wilding, a professor at the University of Liverpool who is unaffiliated with the study, said the findings are not clear in showing whether the medication will have the same impact on those who use the drug exclusively for weight loss.
“As the doses of semaglutide used for treatment of diabetes are lower than those used for treatment of obesity, and people with obesity without diabetes were not included in this study we should not extrapolate these data for use of semaglutide in obesity,” he said.
Novo itself is studying the drug as a treatment for Alzheimer’s.
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