GLP-1 Treatments Such As Wegvoy, Mounjaro Cut Obesity-Related Cancer Risks, Study Finds

In a study published in JAMA Network, patients with type 2 diabetes taking GLP-1 treatments have a reduced risk of developing ten types of obesity-related cancers compared to those on insulin and other diabetes medications.

GLP-1 treatments, including Novo Nordisk’s NVO semaglutide (Wegvoy and Ozempic) and Eli Lilly And Co’s LLY tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound), have gained tremendous popularity.

The research examined the medical records of 1.6 million diabetes patients with no prior history of thirteen types of obesity-related cancers, including esophageal, colorectal, endometrial, gallbladder, kidney, liver, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer, as well as meningioma and multiple myeloma.

The study did not specify the GLP-1 medications used and analyzed data from patients prescribed GLP-1RAs, insulins, or metformin between March 2005 and November 2018.

Researchers found that patients using GLP-1 treatments had a significant reduction in the risk of ten cancers.

The authors noted this as “preliminary evidence of the potential benefit” of GLP-1 drugs in cancer prevention for high-risk populations and supported further preclinical and clinical studies to prevent certain obesity-associated cancers.

Novo Nordisk’s kidney outcomes trial achieved its primary endpoint by demonstrating a statistically significant and superior reduction in kidney disease progression and cardiovascular and kidney death of 24% for people treated with semaglutide 1.0 mg compared to placebo.

In March, the FDA approved Wegovy to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack in overweight or obese adults without diabetes.

Eli Lilly’s detailed results from the SURMOUNT-OSA phase 3 trials evaluating tirzepatide for obstructive sleep apnea achieved all primary and key secondary endpoints for both the efficacy and treatment-regimen estimands and demonstrated a mean reduction of up to 62.8% on the apnea-hypopnea index.

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