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Topline
A class of diabetes and weight-loss drugs including Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro may also help protect against a variety of cancers, according to new research published Friday. and health care providers to cover the popular medication, despite ongoing shortages and concerns about costs.
Weight loss and diabetes medications such as Ozempic may reduce the risk of cancer in some type 2 diabetes … [+]
Key facts
Glucagon-like peptide receptor agonists, a class of drugs often known as GLP-1s or GLP-1RAs, were associated with a “significant risk reduction” for 10 different cancers when used to treat type 2 diabetes, compared with insulin , according to new research. research published in JAMA Oncology.
The findings come from an analysis of the electronic health records of 1.7 million US patients over the age of 15 who were prescribed GLP-1RAs, insulins or metformin for type 2 diabetes between 2005 and 2018 – all of which help control blood sugar levels . which medications have been studied.
GLP-1 medications, which mimic the action of a gut hormone and can help control blood sugar levels, include popular obesity and diabetes treatments such as Ozempic and Wegovy (brand names for semaglutide), Mounjaro and Zepbound (or tirzepatide), Victoza and Saxenda (liraglutide). ) and Trulicity (dulaglutide).
Semaglutide was not approved for medical use until near the end of the study timeline, and tirzepatide was not approved until much later, although findings for some drugs may provide an indication of what might happen with closely related drugs.
All thirteen cancers studied are considered obesity-associated cancers, as excess body fat has been linked to a greater risk of developing them and a worse prognosis in patients who do.
GLP-1RAs were associated with a greatly reduced risk of developing esophageal, colorectal, endometrial, gallbladder, kidney, liver, ovarian and pancreatic cancers, as well as meningioma and multiple myeloma, compared with patients taking insulin .
However, there was no firm evidence for a lower risk of developing obesity-associated cancers compared with patients taking metformin for their diabetes, although the researchers said there was promising but statistically insignificant evidence for a lower risk of gallbladder and colorectal cancer. cancer.
Surprising fact
Although GLP-1RAs were associated with a reduced risk of most obesity-associated cancers studied, compared with other standard diabetes treatments, the researchers said the drugs were also associated with a risk of developing certain cancers . Compared with patients taking metformin, patients taking GLP-1RAs had a higher risk of kidney cancer, the researchers said, although the risk was also lower than patients taking insulin. There have been no previous reports of kidney cancer linked to the use of GLP-1s, which are known to have a direct effect on kidney function and have been linked to lower rates of kidney disease. Nevertheless, the researchers said the findings should be followed up for “full evaluation” and suggest the need for continued monitoring of patients treated with GLP-1RAs. There was also no significant reduction in the risk of developing thyroid cancer in patients taking GLP-1RAs compared to insulins, the researchers said. This finding adds strength to existing research that highlights concerns that the drugs are associated with an increased risk of developing thyroid cancer and supports warnings on drug packages that advise caution in patients with endocrine or thyroid problems.
What we don’t know
The study was observational in nature and can therefore only establish relationships, not cause and effect. It is possible that the reduction in the risk of obesity-associated cancers comes from the weight loss and diabetes control that such drugs enable, as these are both problems associated with higher cancer risks, or from some action of the drug itself or something completely different. Given the available data, the researchers said the study does not take into account “newer and potentially more effective antidiabetic and weight-loss drugs,” which could show even more pronounced effects, as well as those with multihormone agonist activities that are increasingly coming to the market (tirzepatide, for example, is a multihormone agonist).
Important background
These results add to a growing pile of research showing that the health benefits of popular weight loss and diabetes injections extend far beyond the control of the conditions for which they are marketed, which themselves have been implicated in a variety of physical and mental health problems. This data will be crucial in helping companies maintain an edge over competitors racing to bring their first products to market, and will add strength to arguments that the drugs should be financed by insurers, employers and public health authorities who control the keep cover behind him. A host of other conditions are being investigated by drugmakers, including sleep apnea, addiction, anxiety, Parkinson’s and fatty liver disease, and Novo Nordisk has already collected compelling enough data to add cardiovascular disease to Wegovy’s label.
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