On January 9, 2020, a box of Victoza, a drug produced by Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, was placed on the counter of a pharmacy in Provo, Utah.
George Frey | Reuters
An older, once-daily drug to treat diabetes and obesity Novo Nordisk is called Liraglutide It may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by protecting patients’ brains, according to interim trial data released Tuesday.
Novo Nordisk sells liraglutide as diabetes and obesity drug under brand name Victorza and Saxonda, respectively. Quarterly sales of these daily injections has been declining As patients turn to Danish drugmaker A weekly injection of a blockbuster drugOzempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss.
These results add to evidence that the popular GLP-1 class of obesity and diabetes drugs may have significant health benefits in addition to promoting weight loss and regulating blood sugar. As demand for GLP-1 surges over the past two years, Novo Nordisk and its rivals Eli Lilly and Company has been studying the potential of their drugs in patients with chronic conditions ranging from fatty liver disease to sleep apnea.
Researchers from Imperial College London Researchers followed more than 200 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease in the UK who were randomly assigned to receive daily injections of laglutide or a placebo. Research was funded in part by Novo Nordisk.
Patients who received liraglutide experienced an 18% slower rate of cognitive decline after one year of treatment compared with those who received placebo.
The phase 2 trial found that liraglutide slowed the shrinkage of certain parts of the brain critical for memory, decision-making, learning and language by nearly 50% compared with placebo, based on MRI examinations. Alzheimer’s disease often causes the brain to shrink as the disease progresses, as key nerve cells break down and stop functioning properly.
Researchers presented the findings at a meeting on Tuesday Alzheimer’s Disease Association International Conference In Philadelphia, the world’s largest dementia research conference.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and is a general term for the loss of memory, language and other thinking abilities
Brian B. Bettencourt Toronto Star | Getty Images
Dr. Heather Snyder, vice president of medical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer’s Association, said the new data illustrates the diversity of Alzheimer’s therapies being developed or tested, opening the door to new, possible treatments for the disease. A more personalized approach paves the way.
almost 7 million Americans have this condition, fifth leading cause of death For adults 65 and older, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. The number of people living with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States is expected to increase to nearly 13 million by 2050
The field of Alzheimer’s disease treatment has seen breakthroughs in the past year, with two newly approved drugs It has been shown to slow the progression of the disease by targeting a toxic protein in the brain called amyloid, which is a hallmark of the disease. These include Eli Lilly’s Kisunla and Leqembi from Eli Lilly and Company Biogen and Eisai.
Snyder told CNBC on Tuesday that the new data “opens the door” for scientists to explore combining these amyloid-targeting drugs with GLP-1 drugs like liraglutide.
Of note, existing research shows that GLP-1 does not carry the risk of brain swelling and bleeding, two side effects associated with Leqembi and Kisunla. Patients receiving amyloid-targeted therapies undergo routine MRI scans to monitor for these side effects.
In mid-stage trials, patients receiving liraglutide most commonly experienced gastrointestinal side effects related to other GLP-1, such as nausea.
This may be one of the advantages of using GLP-1 to treat Alzheimer’s patients—only a small proportion of patients are currently receiving amyloid-targeting drugs.
“Having a drug with a very good safety profile that is widely available would significantly change the field,” Dr. Paul Edison, professor of neuroscience at Imperial College London and lead author of the trial, told CNBC.
He said that if GLP-1 were approved to treat Alzheimer’s disease, it could be used “almost anywhere in the world without extensive monitoring of side effects,” suggesting the drugs have “huge potential.”
But he noted that more research is needed.
Edison joins Novo Nordisk The third phase of “EVOKE” and “EVOKE+” trials. The ongoing EVOKE, the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic, is examining nearly 2,000 Alzheimer’s patients.
Novo Nordisk said in a statement that it welcomes independent studies investigating its GLP-1 as a treatment for other diseases, but noted that the products are not currently approved to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
Liraglutide trial details
On September 13, 2023, Bartlett, Tennessee, USA, 91-year-old Mr. Bobby Pugh took care of his 90-year-old wife, Bay, at Ave Maria Home, a senior assisted living center in Bartlett, Tennessee, USA. Bessie Pugh, a patient with Alzheimer’s disease.
Karen Pulver Feucht | Reuters
Measurement of cognitive function and brain volume were not the primary objectives of the study.
The main goal of the trial is to measure how much glucose the brain uses, which is important for assessing cognitive function. As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, the so-called glucose metabolic rate Certain parts of the brain decline.
Edison said he and his team believed there were not enough participants in the trial to demonstrate a significant change in the ratio. But he said it was encouraging that liraglutide achieved the second goal of the study, demonstrating benefits on cognitive function, as well as the other goal of changing brain volume.
Edison noted that these findings suggest that GLP-1s such as liraglutide can protect the brain.
“I think demonstrating cognitive improvement is key because that’s what patients are interested in,” he told CNBC.
He said liraglutide may achieve this goal in a variety of ways, such as reducing inflammation in the brain, improving the way nerve cells in the brain communicate, reducing insulin resistance, and reducing insulin resistance. Two hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease: toxic proteins called amyloid plaques and tau.
Edison said more research is needed to confirm this.
