{"id":1225,"date":"2024-07-31T12:03:25","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T12:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/31\/ozempic-predecessor-suggests-potential-for-glp-1-drugs-in-alzheimers-in-early-trial\/"},"modified":"2024-07-31T12:03:25","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T12:03:25","slug":"ozempic-predecessor-suggests-potential-for-glp-1-drugs-in-alzheimers-in-early-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/31\/ozempic-predecessor-suggests-potential-for-glp-1-drugs-in-alzheimers-in-early-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"Ozempic predecessor suggests potential for GLP-1 drugs in Alzheimer\u2019s in early trial"},"content":{"rendered":"

A small clinical trial suggests that drugs like Ozempic could potentially be used not just for diabetes and weight loss but to protect the brain, slowing the rate at which people with Alzheimer\u2019s disease lose their ability to think clearly, remember things and perform daily activities. The results need to be borne out in larger trials, which are already underway, before the medicines could receive approval for the disease. <\/p>\n

The study, of 204 people with Alzheimer\u2019s disease in the United Kingdom, found that those taking the diabetes drug liraglutide \u2013 an earlier medication in Ozempic\u2019s class, which are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists \u2013 had 18% slower cognitive decline over the course of a year compared with those taking a placebo. <\/p>\n

The trial\u2019s main goal, though \u2013 changing the rate at which the brain metabolizes glucose \u2013 was not met, which researchers suggested could have been a result of its small size. The findings were shared Tuesday at the Alzheimer\u2019s Association International Conference in Philadelphia and haven\u2019t yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve known for some time through animal work that GLP-1 has a different type of activity in the brain,\u201d said Dr. Maria Carrillo, chief science officer and medical affairs lead for the Alzheimer\u2019s Association, which was not involved with the research. \u201cThis study really demonstrates for us the possibilities that are there.\u201d <\/p>\n

Beyond diabetes and weight loss<\/h2>\n

GLP-1 drugs have exploded in use in recent years for diabetes and weight loss, and they have shown benefits for a wide range of other health conditions, such as protecting the heart and kidneys, reducing sleep apnea and potentially helping with addiction. <\/p>\n

Studies in animals have suggested that in the brain, the medicines can reduce neuro-inflammation, tamp down on toxic proteins known as amyloid and tau, improve insulin resistance and increase synaptic function, or the transmission of impulses between cells, said Dr. Paul Edison, professor of neuroscience at Imperial College London, who led the trial. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first study that actually looked at a relatively large number of patients for whether there is any neuroprotective effect in Alzheimer\u2019s disease,\u201d Edison said. <\/p>\n

The trial enrolled predominantly people with mild Alzheimer\u2019s disease, measured by a test known as the Mini-Mental State Examination, a scale that goes up to 30. Those with a score of 21 to 26 are considered to have mild Alzheimer\u2019s disease, and the majority of participants in this study had a score of about 22, although some had scores down to 17, indicating moderate Alzheimer\u2019s, Edison said. <\/p>\n

It excluded patients with diabetes to try to control for any effects of that disease, which is itself a risk factor for Alzheimer\u2019s. <\/p>\n

Edison and his team ran the trial using liraglutide, a daily injection sold under the brand names Victoza for diabetes and Saxenda for weight loss, because it\u2019s similar to the GLP-1 hormone found in humans, he said, and it was on the market for diabetes when the study started about a decade ago. <\/p>\n

Ozempic, which uses the active ingredient semaglutide, was approved in the US for diabetes in 2017 and subsequently in the UK, and its counterpart for weight loss, Wegovy, was approved in the US in 2021. They are given as injections once a week. <\/p>\n

The GLP-1 drug class also includes Eli Lilly\u2019s Mounjaro and Zepbound, which use the active ingredient tirzepatide, which mimics not just the hormone GLP-1 but another called GIP. And a snowballing number of additional companies are trying to develop even more powerful drugs. Already, the existing medicines are in shortage as the companies try to keep up with soaring demand. <\/p>\n

Competing in Alzheimer\u2019s<\/h2>\n

Lilly already has a business in Alzheimer\u2019s, gaining approval this month of a treatment called Kisunla that clears buildups of amyloid plaques from the brain. But it hasn\u2019t announced any trials of its GLP-1 drugs in Alzheimer\u2019s. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo I would just caution,\u201d he continued, \u201cthat this is probably the most risky trial that we have ever undertaken.\u201d <\/p>\n

Novo Nordisk is running its trials using a daily pill form of semaglutide, with results expected as soon as the fall of 2025. An oral form is already on the market for diabetes under the brand name Rybelsus. <\/p>\n

When it announced the studies in 2020, the Danish drug giant said it planned to enroll about 3,700 people with early Alzheimer\u2019s disease, with a main treatment period of about two years. <\/p>\n

The company said in a later investor presentation that its decision to start the phase three trials was based on data including real-world evidence studies showing lower risks of dementia among people on GLP-1 medicines, analyses of effects seen in other clinical trials and animal studies showing that the drugs are associated with improved memory function, reduced neuroinflammation and systemic anti-inflammatory effects. <\/p>\n

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