Ozempic linked with lower dementia risk, nicotine use

Novo Nordisk’s popular diabetes treatment Ozempic could be tied to a lower risk of cognitive problems, according to an observational study published by researchers at Oxford University.

The study, published in the Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine journal on Thursday, explored more than 100 million medical records of U.S. patients to see if Ozempic increased the risk of several neurological and psychiatric conditions in the first year of use compared with three common antidiabetic drugs.

The study found Ozempic, or semaglutide, was not tied to a higher risk of any of the neurological or psychiatric conditions studied, such as anxiety or depression, and patients taking Ozempic had lower rates of cognitive decline and nicotine use.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

The study helps further lay to rest concerns that treatment with semaglutide – originally designed for type 2 diabetes but now also approved for weight loss under the brand Wegovy – increases the risk of suicidal thoughts.

The findings also suggest that treatment with semaglutide and similar drugs may be associated with a lower risk of dementia and can help reduce nicotine cravings.

The findings need to be confirmed in more rigorous randomized controlled trials. The authors also cautioned that the findings cannot be applied to people without diabetes.

MARKET REACTION

U.S.-listed shares of Novo Nordisk rose 1.8%, while shares of rival Eli Lilly rose 1.6%.

KEY QUOTES

Howard Fillit, chief science officer of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, said the study is the latest in a series suggesting drugs in this class may have a cognitive benefit.

Fillit added that observational studies such as this are suggestive only. “The answer to all those limitations is to do a randomized clinical trial, which is exactly what Novo is doing.”

WHAT’S NEXT

The Danish drugmaker in 2021 began testing semaglutide in patients with early Alzheimer’s disease, with results expected by 2025.