(Carrick Pharmacy News) A prescription weight loss drug may cut the risk of type 2 diabetes by more than half.
That’s the finding of new research that looked at the effects of Wegovy (semaglutide).
This medication, approved in 2021, was found to improve various clinical measures in people with obesity. These included body mass index (BMI), glycemic control and more.
The result, according to this new research, was that the risk of future type 2 diabetes was cut by more than 50 percent for study participants.
People with obesity often face a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Often, losing weight can reduce this raised risk.
The new study of Wegovy compared the drug to a placebo in more than 1,500 participants over 68 weeks. Most of these participants had obesity.
Semaglutide appeared to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes over the next 10 years by more than half.
Those who received Wegovy had an 18 percent risk of developing type 2 diabetes at the start of the study and a 7 percent risk by the end. But those who received a placebo only went from an 18 percent risk to a 16 percent risk.
This research was presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes 2022 Annual Meeting. Research presented at conferences may not have been fully peer-reviewed.
The company that markets semaglutide, Novo Nordisk, sponsored part of this research. Study authors disclosed various advisory and research roles with Novo Nordisk and other pharmaceutical companies.
If you are concerned about your weight or your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, speak with your doctor.
