A drug similar to Ozempic, used to treat diabetes and obesity, might also be used to treat and slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, according to a small study. Researchers from Imperial College London observed 204 Alzheimer's patients in the UK over a year. Half were given daily injections of liraglutide, the active ingredient of Novo Nordisk's GLP-1 medications Victoza and Saxenda, while the other half were given a placebo. Compared to the latter group, those given liraglutide had 50% lower loss of brain volume in areas that control memory and decision making and an 18% slower decline in cognitive function, Quartz reports.
"The slower loss of brain volume suggests liraglutide protects the brain, much like statins protect the heart," says Dr. Paul Edison, a professor of neuroscience at Imperial College London, who presented the unpublished findings Tuesday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Philadelphia. It's not known how liraglutide affects the brain, but Edison said it "may work through various mechanisms, such as reducing inflammation in the brain, lowering insulin resistance and the toxic effects of Alzheimer's biomarkers amyloid-beta and tau, and improving how the brain's nerve cells communicate."
Sales of liraglutide have declined with the rise of semaglutide, the active ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy, which can be injected weekly rather than daily. But semaglutide "has been shown in studies to cut the risk of dementia in patients with Type 2 diabetes," per NBC News. Novo Nordisk is currently running two phase 3 clinical trials that will compare semaglutide to a placebo in more than 3,000 patients with mild cognitive impairment or early-stage Alzheimer's disease, with results to be released next year, the outlet notes. If all goes well, "FDA approval could happen as early as next year," per NBC. (More Alzheimer's disease stories.)
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