The weight-loss medication Wegovy and the popular diabetic medication Ozempic from Novo Nordisk are being researched to discover if they have any additional health benefits.

The active component in both treatments is semaglutide, which belongs to a class of medications called GLP-1 pharmaceuticals. GLP-1 drugs help manage blood sugar levels and promote feelings of fullness.

According to recent research, semaglutide may also lessen the chance of having a heart attack or stroke and slow the advancement of renal disease in people with diabetes.

Additional conditions against which GLP-1 therapies are being explored are listed below:

Chronic kidney disease

Tirzepatide, a GLP-1 medication marketed as Zepbound for weight loss and Mounjaro for diabetes by Eli Lilly, is being assessed in a mid-stage study for individuals with obesity who have chronic renal disease. Lilly intends to accept as many as 140 applicants.

Cardiovascular disease

Tirzepatide is also being tested by Lilly for people who are obese and have heart failure. Lilly anticipates that the trial will enrol roughly 700 participants and be finished by July 2024.

Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong are comparing Novo’s semaglutide to standard therapy in stroke patients whose strokes are caused by the obstruction of big blood veins to the brain. Novo’s semaglutide is being tested in conjunction with mechanical clot removal. About 140 patients are gonna be recruited for the mid-stage research.

Neurological disorders

Semaglutide is being tested by researchers at the Danish Headache Centre in Denmark in conjunction with a very low calorie diet as a treatment for newly diagnosed Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension, a disorder linked to obesity that causes pressure inside the head to rise. The goal of the study is to enrol roughly fifty participants and conclude as early as 2025.

Alzheimer’s disease

Semaglutide is being tested in patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease by Novo. 1,840 participants will be enrolled in the trial, and its primary completion might occur as early as 2025.

Liver disease

Novo is evaluating semaglutide in individuals suffering from non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a kind of fatty liver disease, in a late-stage experiment. It is anticipated that 1,200 individuals will register in the trial, which could end as early as 2028.

About 200 NASH patients are participating in a mid-stage trial to assess Lilly’s tirzepatide.

Parkinson’s disease

In a mid-stage trial involving roughly 156 patients with early Parkinson’s disease, researchers at University Hospital, Toulouse, France evaluated Sanofi SA’s (SASY.PA) GLP-1 medication lixisenatide, marketed as Adlyxin, for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, in addition to standard anti-Parkinson’s medications.

More information is anticipated in early 2024. Preliminary results suggested the medication might halt the progression of motor symptoms.

Sleep apnea

For the treatment of individuals with obesity and obstructive sleep apnea, including those who use breathing equipment to keep their airways open while they sleep and those who choose not to, Lilly’s tirzepatide is undergoing late-stage testing. Enrollment in the trial is anticipated to total 469 individuals.

In a pilot study supported by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, physicians discovered that 12 out of 18 adult patients without diabetes who took Novo’s GLP-1 medication Victoza, also known as liraglutide, had less severe sleep apnea.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

The active component of Novo’s medications Victoza and Saxenda, liraglutide, has been shown by researchers at the Women’s Hospital in Los Angeles to significantly lower elevated testosterone levels in obese women with polycystic ovarian syndrome, the most prevalent hormonal disorder in women of reproductive age. 88 people were included in the late-stage trial.

Knee Osteoarthritis

Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, a degenerative joint disease, who are overweight are being tested for retatrutide, an investigational Lilly GLP-1. Up to 405 people can presently be enrolled in the trial.

Alcohol Addiction

A study conducted by the Psychiatric Centre Rigshospitalet at the University of Copenhagen is examining the potential benefits of semaglutide medication in lowering alcohol consumption among 108 individuals who have been diagnosed with obesity and alcohol use disorder.

(Adapted from Reuters.com)

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