Novo’s Semaglutide Linked to Reduced Alzheimer’s Risk in Real-World Study

Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide has been linked to a 40% to 70% reduction in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis in a real-world study of patients with type 2 diabetes published Thursday in Alzheimer’s and Dementia. The results follow a July study based on health records from 100 million patients that found a correlation between the drug and a lower risk in dementia and other neurological disorders.

Semaglutide is marketed by Novo as Wegovy for weight loss and Ozempic for diabetes. Beyond those indications, the drug has been approved by the FDA to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events and is being studied for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis and chronic kidney disease. Novo is also running a Phase III trial in patients with early Alzheimer’s disease, with results expected as early as next year.

The new study suggests that semaglutide could also have value in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers conducted an evaluation of medical records from 116 million patients in the U.S. with diabetes. Among those, 1 million people who had never had an Alzheimer’s diagnosis were assessed based on which therapies they were on for diabetes.

Patients who were taking semaglutide had a significantly reduced risk of receiving a first-time Alzheimer’s diagnosis, particularly when compared to those taking insulin. The reduction was also seen when compared to other GLP-1s, however the comparison was weaker in this group. Semaglutide was also associated with significantly lower prescriptions for Alzheimer’s medications. The findings were similar across obesity status, gender and age groups.

“Our study shows that semaglutide significantly reduces first-time AD diagnoses compared to other antidiabetic medications, suggesting potential benefits beyond insulin resistance improvement,” the researchers wrote.

But more research needs to be done to solidify the link, they noted. Previous research suggests that the drug could have neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. Going forward, the researchers suggested that trials could study semaglutide’s effects in protecting against mild cognitive impairment, other dementias and neurodegenerative diseases. They also recommended that competing medicines like Eli Lilly’s tirzepitide, which is marketed as Zepbound for weight loss and Mounjaro for diabetes, be assessed for neurodegeneration as well.

Whether these drugs will also benefit already-diagnosed patients is unclear, Walter Swardfager, an associate professor at the University of Toronto who wasn’t involved in the study, told STAT News. However, “it definitely suggests that the mechanism is having some benefit and we should eagerly await the outcomes” of the randomized trials.

A Phase IIb study reported in July linked Novo’s older GLP-1 medicine liraglutide to a slower rate of cognitive decline.