Weight reduction drugs are being assessed for his or her ability to treat conditions like dementia and addiction after a landmark study showed that Wegovy helped reduce the chance of heart attacks and strokes.
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LONDON — Scientists have begun investigating whether so-called miracle obesity drugs may very well be used to treat conditions similar to dementia and alcohol addiction after recent trials pointed to the drugs’ efficacy in treating serious health issues.
Late-stage trial data released last month by Novo Nordisk indicated that its Wegovy weight reduction injection led to “large reductions” in heart failure-related symptoms amongst at-risk patients.
It comes weeks after the Danish pharmaceutical company published the outcomes of its much anticipated “SELECT” study, which showed the drug’s role in reducing the chance of major cardiovascular events similar to heart attacks or strokes.
The findings mark a significant milestone as the corporate seeks to broaden perceptions of its product — dubbed by some a “vanity drug” — and researchers are hopeful they spell positive news for the drugs’ other applications.
“The outcomes show that this medication can have health advantages above and beyond the short-term,” Christian Hendershot, director of the clinical and translational addiction research program on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told CNBC via Zoom.
A treatment for drug and alcohol abuse
Hendershot is one researcher investigating whether the appetite-regulating mechanisms at play in weight reduction drugs may very well be used to treat other conditions similar to alcohol and drug addiction.
Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly‘s Mounjaro work by imitating a naturally occurring gut hormone that helps regulate appetite within the brain, ultimately resulting in weight reduction. For that, they depend on energetic ingredients called semaglutide and liraglutide, respectively, which belong to a bunch of medication called GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Pre-clinical trial data has for several years pointed to the efficacy of GLP-1 medication in reducing drug and alcohol intake amongst animals. Hendershot is now testing Ozempic — Wegovy’s predecessor used to treat type 2 diabetes — to see whether those trends apply to humans, too.
If those two studies each readout … it’s hard to overstate the effect this can have on the sphere.
Kyle Simmons
rofessor of pharmacology and physiology at Oklahoma State University
“There’s reason for optimism, particularly given the reports. Now it’s our job to do the research to validate those findings with clinical data,” said Hendershot, who expects to publish early findings next yr.
If broader applications of the drugs are proven to be effective, the implications may very well be vast, in keeping with Kyle Simmons, professor of pharmacology and physiology at Oklahoma State University, who cited early indications of the drugs’ efficacy in reducing cocaine, amphetamine and opioid cravings.
Simmons is currently leading the Semaglutide Therapy for Alcohol Reduction (STAR) trial, a 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled study, which is running in tandem with a separate but similar study on the University of Baltimore.
“If those two studies each read out, and so they’re each positive, it’s hard to overstate the effect this can have on the sphere,” he said.
Applications in Alzheimer’s disease
Some researchers are hopeful the drugs could even have use cases within the treatment of dementia and other cognitive disorders.
Already, there may be evidence to suggest that GLP-1 drugs can reduce the build-up of amyloid and tau on the brain — two proteins considered accountable for Alzheimer’s disease, essentially the most common variety of dementia.
Now, a trial underway on the University of Oxford will test patients susceptible to developing dementia — i.e. those with high levels of amyloid on the brain — to see whether the drugs result in a discount in tau accumulation and brain inflammation.
“We would like to see if these drugs are interfering with the core Alzheimer’s disease pathology,” said Ivan Koychev, a senior clinical researcher, who’s leading the study.
Elsewhere, others think the drugs could have potential applications within the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a disorder that may cause irregular periods, hormone imbalances and fertility issues.
“If women with PCOS exhibit positive outcomes by way of irregular periods and hirsutism [excess hair growth] despite modest weight reduction, it could underscore the medication’s broader therapeutic potential,” said Harshal Deshmukh, a consultant endocrinologist and senior clinical lecturer on the University of Hull, who’s currently conducting one such trial.
Implications for reward signaling
Additional possible use cases for weight reduction drugs could exacerbate the hurdles already faced by patients using them, nevertheless: high costs and provide shortages.
Earlier this month, Novo Nordisk prolonged restrictions on starter doses of Wegovy resulting from production constraints, while Eli Lilly warned of continued delays in Mounjaro output for a similar reason.
Hendershot said his study was not currently being impacted by shortages, but Simmons described it as a “significant concern.”
Meantime, concerns have been raised concerning the possible opposed effects of the drugs after some patients reported thoughts of suicide or self-harm.
Is that this medication … turning down the gain on reward-signaling
Kyle Simmons
rofessor of pharmacology and physiology at Oklahoma State University
Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen told a Reuters Newsmaker event last month that the variety of suspected cases remained minimal relative to the wide reach of the drug. “When you’ve got medicine that is utilized in tens of millions of patients, and many differing kinds of patients, you then can come across different events,” he said.
Nevertheless, Simmons said that more research continues to be needed to grasp the impact of such drugs on reward signaling within the brain. His own research will test for such signals by monitoring participants’ reward responses in a virtual reality simulation.
“Is that this medication, due to its effects perhaps on the mesolimbic dopamine system, just turning down the gain on reward signaling in such a way that would promote anhedonia?” Simmons said. Anhedonia is a term used to explain a reduced ability to experience pleasure.
“If this drug is utilized by increasingly more people, if it starts to advertise a lack of interest in pleasure more generally, that may not be an amazing thing, for instance, for individuals who have a history of major depressive disorder,” he added.
Should you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline within the U.S. at 988 or the Samaritans within the U.K. at 116 123.
