Ozempic and weight loss drugs: All the new research showing potential benefits

Nov 06, 2024

It seems like every day a new study emerges linking Ozempic and similar drugs to new health benefits. Ozempic is part of a drug class known as GLP-1 medications, which mimic gut hormones that help regulate blood sugar and suppress appetite. These drugs have become popular for their effectiveness in treating obesity and type 2 diabetes, but researchers are uncovering even more potential uses.

This year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) Wegovy for reducing heart risks like heart attacks and strokes. Eli Lilly is also seeking approval for Zepbound to treat sleep apnea. Additionally, numerous studies suggest these medications may help with a range of conditions — from treating addictions and Alzheimer’s disease to reducing the risk of COVID-19-related deaths.

Take a look at the latest research uncovering surprising new uses for GLP-1 drugs.

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A new study found that semaglutide — known by its brand names Ozempic and Wegovy — significantly reduced knee osteoarthritis pain and improved joint function in patients with severe obesity. A 68-week trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that participants taking semaglutide lost an average of 14% of their body weight, compared to a 3% loss in the placebo group. Beyond weight loss, the semaglutide group experienced a reduction in knee pain — an average drop of 42 points on the WOMAC pain scale — compared to a 27.5-point reduction in the placebo group. They also reported improved knee function, with a 12-point gain in mobility scores versus a 6.5-point increase in the placebo group.

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Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster drug Ozempic is linked to yet another health benefit: lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. People who are prescribed semaglutide — the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy — as a treatment for type 2 diabetes may have a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

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The pill version of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster drug Ozempic was found to cut the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular events in a late-stage clinical trial. The Danish pharma giant announced in October that the oral form of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, was shown to reduce the risk of major adverse heart events by 14% among people with Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease and/or chronic kidney disease, compared with patients who were given a placebo.

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Blockbuster diabetes and weight loss drugs, known as GLP-1 treatments, could help people struggling with alcohol and opioid addiction, according to a new study published Thursday in the scientific journal Addiction. In a retrospective study, researchers found that patients with opioid use disorder who had a GLP-1 prescription had a 40% lower rate of opioid overdoses compared with those without a prescription.

Additionally, people with alcohol use disorder with a GLP-1 prescription had 50% fewer instances of alcohol intoxication compared with those without a prescription.

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People that are prescribed semaglutide — the active ingredient in Ozempic — as a treatment for type 2 diabetes may have a reduced risk of an opioid overdose, according to a new study published in September in JAMA Network Open. The study found that prescriptions for semaglutide were associated with lower overdose rates among patients with type 2 diabetes who also had a diagnosis of opioid use disorder (OUD).

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A new analysis of a clinical trial of semaglutide — the active ingredient in Wegovy — showed that the popular weight loss drug reduced the risk of Covid-19 deaths among patients with heart disease. Researchers found that trial participants taking semaglutide cut their risk of dying from COVID-19 by 34%, compared to patients taking a placebo.

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Eli Lilly (LLY) said in August that the drug behind Zepbound was found to help nearly eliminate the risk of diabetes for adults who are pre-diabetic and are overweight or obese.The drug was tested on over 1,000 adults who had pre-diabetes and were overweight or obese over the course of three years.

Patients who took weekly doses of tirzepatide reduced their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 94%, compared to patients who were on a placebo.

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Eli Lilly announced today that the drug behind Zepbound was found to help cut heart failure risks in patients with obesity in a late-stage clinical trial. The trial involved 731 participants with obesity and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a condition where the left ventricle doesn’t contract normally and results in not enough blood circulating in the body. Half of the group was given tirzepatide over the course of 52 weeks, the other half was given a placebo.

Patients who received tirzepatide were 38% less likely to be hospitalized, need an increase in heart failure medication, or die of heart failure, compared to patients who were given a placebo.

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GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic could potentially be used to treat and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study presented in July at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia. Researchers from the Imperial College London observed 204 Alzheimer’s patients in the United Kingdom. Over the course of a year, half of the group was given the daily injectable GLP-1 medication liraglutide and the other half a placebo. The group who received liraglutide had an 18% slower decline in cognitive function compared to patients that received a placebo.

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Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster drug Ozempic could potentially help people struggling with tobacco addiction, according to a new study published in July in the Annals of Internal Medicine. In a retrospective study, researchers found that smokers with type 2 diabetes that were prescribed Ozempic were up to 32% less likely to discuss tobacco use with a doctor a year after starting their treatment, compared to patients taking other diabetes drugs.

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Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster drug Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications could potentially lower the risk of certain types of cancer for people that have type 2 diabetes, according to a new study published Friday in JAMA Network Open. In a retrospective study, researchers found that type 2 diabetes patients that were on a GLP-1 treatment had a lower risk of developing 10 types of obesity-related cancers (OACs) compared with type 2 diabetes patients that took insulin.

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Investigators from the University of North Carolina presented results from a small study at the College on Problems of Drug Dependence’s annual meeting in June. Their research found that people with alcohol use disorder drank less after taking semaglutide — the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic– compared with with people who took a placebo.

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Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic, known for its weight-loss side effects, can also help patients living with chronic kidney disease, per a study funded by the pharmaceutical company. A weekly, one-milligram injection of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and the weight loss drug Wegovy, was found to reduce the combined risk of major kidney complications (including kidney failure), cardiovascular events, and even death from any cause by 24% in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, according to a study published in May in The New England Journal of Medicine.

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Eli Lilly announced earlier this year that the drug behind Zepbound was found to help alleviate sleep apnea in patients with obesity in late-stage clinical trials. The medication, tirzepatide, is sold by the company in the United States as Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for weight loss. The pharma giant said at the time that it’s planning to seek approval from the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand the use of the drug to include treating sleep apnea.

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The popular weight-loss drug Wegovy, which has helped millions of Americans shed pounds, can be used to reduce the risk of stroke, heart attacks and other serious cardiovascular problems in patients who are overweight or who have obesity, federal regulators said in March.

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