Already famed for helping hundreds of Americans shift extra weight, Ozempic is now being tipped as a treatment for a myriad of other serious health problems.
In a brand new study, doctors found the blockbuster medication could slash the danger of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) by as much as 80 percent.
Meanwhile, investigators are also launching research projects to find out if the drug could ease sleep apnea.
The researchers behind the MS study urged for immediate investigations to see if Ozempic might be a possible treatment for the neurodegenerative disorder.
The findings might be of even further financial profit to the pharma firm behind the drugs, Novo Nordisk, with the obesity drugs market value $80billion this 12 months.
Doctors even went to this point as to suggest semaglutide — the drug in Ozempic — ought to be investigated as a possible treatment for MS patients
The latest discoveries add to previous claims about wide-ranging advantages, resembling slashing the danger of heart disease, kidney disease and problems with the liver. There are also suggestions they may cut the danger of Alzheimer’s,
In the MS study, researchers from the University of Nebraska compared reports of MS in patients who’d taken 15 weight reduction drugs — including semaglutide (the generic name for Ozempic).
Results showed those that used semaglutide had a 76 percent lower risk of developing MS in comparison with patients taking the opposite 14 drugs within the database, while for those using dulgaglutide, or Trulicity, this was 83.5 percent.
A separate report also revealed that Eli Lilly, the drug firm working on tirzepatide, has launched a trial investigating how its drug impacts those with the common sleep condition, sleep apnea.
The condition, which affects around 39 million adults, causes patients to temporarily stop respiration while they sleep.
The study recruited nearly 500 patients who took the drug Mounjaro once per week. The trial was set to finish last month, with results expected to be published in the approaching months.
The weight reduction triggered by the drug is anticipated to enhance the condition — which will be worsened by excess fat within the neck area, which increases pressure on the upper airway.
Dr Angela Fitch, the present president of the Obesity Medicine Association, said: ‘We already know it can work, it’s just a matter of how well.
‘It shall be interesting to see if those who lose more weight during th study recuperate remission of sleep apnea and the way much weight reduction is required to place it in remission.’
It comes amid a weight reduction treatments gold rush, with prescriptions of Ozempic and similar medications surging 300 percent between 2019 and 2022 alone.
They work by stimulating GLP-1 receptors within the brain, prompting someone to feel full even after an extended period without eating anything.
This promise — of weight reduction with only one injection per week — is what has fueled their popularity.
However, there are fears risks are being missed, with a DailyMail.com evaluation of FDA data finding 117 fatalities linked to the drugs recorded since their release.
Among them was a girl in her 20s who was diagnosed with an ‘intestinal mass’, and one other patient who was pregnant.
None of the deaths have been confirmed to have been brought on by the drugs, but associations have been reported by patients.
In many cases, the alleged advantages are linked on to the drug’s ability to assist people reduce weight quickly.
Obesity can, extra time, damage a wide range of tissues within the body, increasing the danger of developing a wide range of diseases.
However, there’s some research to suggest that a few of the extensive advantages could also be as a consequence of reasons apart from weight reduction.
The drug stimulated GLP-1 receptors present in other areas of the body, including the blood-brain-barrier.
Scientists have suggested that this could have a spread of other effects including protecting nerve cells from damage.
In the study on MS, scientists analyzed medical data from greater than 600,000 patients using 15 weight reduction drugs since 2003.
They analyzed data from popular drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide, in addition to others linked to weight reduction including metformin and bupropion.
Writing within the paper, published in Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disordersthe team from the University of Nebraska wrote: ‘Our findings suggest a possible consideration for repurposing anti-diabetic weight loss-inducing drugs including semaglutide… for MS.
‘This warrants validation through rigorous methodologies and prospective studies.’
The study was funded by the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Estimates show the marketplace for weight reduction medications has surged from $3billion in 2022 to greater than $80billion today.
Novo Nordisk, behind Ozempic, was the primary into the market. But Eli Lilly is catching up with its own weight reduction drug tirzepatide, which is accessible as Mounjaro. Reports from last month suggested its weight reduction drug Zepbound had already overtaken Wegovy when it comes to prescriptions.
Ozempic has only been approved for type 2 diabetics to this point, nevertheless it is usually prescribed off-label for weight reduction.
Its sister medication Wegovy — which uses the identical drug semaglutide but in a lower dose — has been approved for treating weight reduction and, earlier this 12 months, also got the green light for heart disease patients.
Heart disease is the highest killer within the US, with greater than 120million adults estimated to be affected by the condition.