Ozempic could be given to help patients with advanced Alzheimer’s disease, it was claimed last night.
Scientists believe the weight-loss vaccine’s role in reducing inflammation in the body is key, as it is common to other conditions, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Trials have been launched to examine the impact of semaglutide (marketed as Ozempic for treating diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss) in slowing the progression of dementia.
The injections have already been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of heart attacks and cancer.
Research of patients taking Ozempic for type 2 diabetes suggests a lower risk of dementia and fewer symptoms among those who develop Alzheimer’s disease.
A US study of more than a million people with type 2 diabetes found that those who received semaglutide had up to a 70 percent lower risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease over the next three years.
A US study of more than a million people with type 2 diabetes found that those taking semaglutide had up to a 70 percent lower risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease over the next three years.
Jeff Cummings, professor of brain and health sciences, said, “Let’s start with the more advanced patients; I think we have to develop drugs for more advanced patients.”
«Every patient who has an early disease will end up having a late disease, so we have to find a way to try to stop this progression towards a more advanced stage disease. But once they are there, we will need to be able to help them more than we do now.
Trials have begun to examine the impact of semaglutide, marketed as Ozempic (pictured) to treat diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss, on slowing the progression of dementia.
A person who uses ozempic. Research of patients taking Ozempic for type 2 diabetes suggests a lower risk of dementia and fewer symptoms among those who develop Alzheimer’s disease.
“But we think that drugs like semaglutide, for example, a drug that would be taken to affect brain metabolism, or the way the brain works, could have application in late-stage patients, although, for now, it is being tested in early stages. stage patients.’
Dr Jacqui Hanley, head of research funding at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “It is encouraging to see large studies exploring whether already licensed drugs could be repurposed as a treatment for dementia.” As these drugs have already been shown to be safe to use, this could speed up the testing process in clinical trials, as well as being significantly cheaper.
«We know that approximately one third of the drugs undergoing clinical trials for Alzheimer’s are treatments used for other diseases. If we want to cure dementia, we must develop a toolkit of treatments that address different aspects of the disease and can be used in combination. Research into drug repurposing can help us do just that.’
It comes as figures show prescriptions for Ozempic were given to almost 400 prisoners this year after rates of type 2 diabetes in prison doubled in four years.
In 2024, 396 prisoners received Ozempic injections.
That was less than the 575 prescribed for prisoners last year and 448 in 2022.
An elderly lady (file image). A US study of more than a million people with type 2 diabetes found that those who received semaglutide had up to a 70 percent lower risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease over the next three years.
But the rates were much higher than the 36 given in 2019.
The NHS pays a flat rate of £73.25 per standard Ozempic prescription.
And with 1,770 injections given to prisoners in the last five years, Ozempic has cost the NHS almost £130,000 since 2019.
Nearly a fifth (18 percent) of the total prison population was identified with type 2 diabetes this year, compared to 9.5 percent in 2020.