Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide has been associated with a lower risk of cognitive problems, according to new research conducted by a team from the University of Oxford.
The observational study suggests that people with diabetes receiving the glucagon-likepeptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, which is marketed under brand names including Ozempic and Wegovy, experienced cognitive benefits as well as lower nicotine dependence.
The analysis, published in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine journal, used records from more than 100 million patients in the US, including over 20,000 who were taking semaglutide.
The team found that the drug was not associated with an increased risk of neurological and psychiatric conditions, such as dementia, depression or anxiety, compared to other common anti-diabetic medications, challenging recent safety concerns surrounding the treatment.
Dr Riccardo De Giorgi, clinical lecturer at the University of Oxford and lead author of the study, said: “The findings of our study… not only help reassure the millions of patients relying on semaglutide for diabetes management, but, if confirmed, might also have significant implications for public health in terms of reducing cognitive deficit… among patients with diabetes.”
The researchers outlined that, while the study’s “robust methodology and extensive data provide strong evidence”, further investigation is needed and that it remains unclear how semaglutide may be having these effects.
“Our study is observational and these results should therefore be replicated in a randomised controlled trial to confirm and extend our findings,” said Dr Max Taquet, clinical lecturer at the University of Oxford and senior author of the study.
The findings come just days after researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in the US found that type 2 diabetes patients being treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as semaglutide, were less likely to develop ten types of 13 obesity-related cancers.
The team found that, compared to insulin, GLP-1 treatment reduced the risk of gallbladder cancer by 65%, meningioma by 63%, pancreatic cancer by 59%, hepatocellular carcinoma by 53% and ovarian cancer by 48%, with benefits seen across multiple other cancers.
Beyond cancer outcomes, semaglutide has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of major kidney outcomes, cardiovascular events and death in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.