Alzheimers Dement

Semaglutide may protect against development of Alzheimer’s

October 28, 2024

Among patients with T2DM, semaglutide use was associated with significantly reduced risk for first-time Alzheimer’s disease (AD) diagnosis.

Investigators conducted 7 emulation target trials involving nearly 1.1 million patients with T2DM who had no prior AD diagnosis. Semaglutide was compared with seven other antidiabetic medications.

Semaglutide was associated with significantly reduced risk for first-time AD diagnosis. The greatest risk reduction was seen in comparison to insulin (hazard ratio [HR], 0.33; 95% CI, 0.21-0.51), while the smallest reduction was in comparison to other GLP-1RAs (HR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.37-0.95). In addition to reduced risk for AD diagnosis, semaglutide was also associated with significantly lower AD-related medication prescriptions. Similar reductions were observed across obesity status, gender, and age groups.

Authors conclude that the findings provide real-world evidence supporting potential clinical benefits of semaglutide in mitigating the risk of AD in patients with T2DM. They call for further clinical trials to evaluate semaglutide's potential in delaying or preventing AD.

Source:

Wang W, et al. (2024, October 24). Alzheimers Dement. Associations of semaglutide with first-time diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in patients with type 2 diabetes: Target trial emulation using nationwide real-world data in the US. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39445596/