COMPARED to other anti-diabetic drugs, semaglutide, also known as Ozempic, may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in people with Type 2 diabetes (T2D).
This study evaluated semaglutide’s effects on Alzheimer’s risk by comparing its impact to that of seven other anti-diabetic drugs, finding a notably lower risk of Alzheimer’s development associated with semaglutide use. This research holds important implications for clinical practice, particularly in the potential for dual treatment benefits in managing both diabetes and Alzheimer’s risk.
The study utilised a nationwide database containing electronic health records from 116 million U.S. patients. Researchers conducted emulated target trials among 1,094,761 eligible patients with T2DM who had not been previously diagnosed with AD. Across a three-year follow-up period, they tracked first-time Alzheimer’s diagnoses using Cox proportional hazards models and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses to compare outcomes among patients treated with semaglutide and those treated with other anti-diabetic drugs. Findings showed that semaglutide was linked to a significantly lower AD risk, with the most pronounced risk reduction observed in comparison to insulin (hazard ratio [HR] 0.33, 95% CI: 0.21–0.51), and a somewhat lower, though still substantial, reduction when compared to other glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs; HR 0.59, 95% CI: 0.37–0.95). The reduction in Alzheimer’s risk associated with semaglutide remained consistent across all subgroups, including those defined by age, gender, and obesity status.
These findings suggest a significant potential for semaglutide in lowering Alzheimer’s disease risk among patients with Type 2 diabetes, reinforcing preclinical evidence of its neuroprotective effects. Given the real-world evidence from this study, additional clinical trials are warranted to confirm and expand on these findings. For clinical practice, these results could signal a shift toward considering Alzheimer’s risk reduction in treatment planning for T2DM patients, particularly for those at increased risk of neurodegenerative disease. As semaglutide is already widely used and generally well-tolerated, its repurposing for Alzheimer’s prevention may present a promising strategy, potentially enabling healthcare providers to simultaneously manage blood glucose and protect cognitive health in vulnerable patient populations.
Reference
Wang W et al. 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. Alzheimers Dement. 2024;DOI:10.1002/alz.14313.
