Diabetes Medication Slows Brain Decline in Alzheimer’s Patients 

Diabetes Medication Slows Brain Decline in Alzheimer's Patients. Credit | Getty Images
Diabetes Medication Slows Brain Decline in Alzheimer's Patients. Credit | Getty Images

United States: A former once-daily medication for diabetes and obesity by Novo Nordisk, Liraglutide, could halt the worsening of Alzheimer’s in the brains of the patient population based on data from a mid-stage trial, which was released on Tuesday. 

More about the finding 

Novo Nordisk markets Liraglutide with the ways of diabetes and obesity known as Victoza and Saxenda, respectively. 

Outflows of those daily shots every quarter have consequently fallen as customers opt for the Danish company’s more popular weekly injections—Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy to manage obesity

Diabetes Medication Slows Brain Decline in Alzheimer's Patients. Credit | Getty Images
Diabetes Medication Slows Brain Decline in Alzheimer’s Patients. Credit | Getty Images

The findings contribute to the information that the most broadly used group of drugs for obesity and diabetes, called GLP-1s, can have considerable effects on health, even though they help to reduce weight and stabilize blood sugar levels, as CNBC News reported. 

While GLP-1 sales have been rapidly ascending in the last two years, Novo Nordisk and rival Eli Lilly have been exploring their drugs’ possibilities in patients with chronic disorders that include fatty liver disease and sleep apnea. 

What have the experts identified? 

In the British study, scientists from Imperial College London set out to identify how liraglutide injections affect 200 mild to moderate Alzheimer’s patients. 

Patients in the liraglutide group experienced an 18 percent per year slower decline of cognitive status within one year of administration than placebo, as CNBC News reported. 

The phase two trial concluded that Liraglutide arrested the deterioration of specific components of the brain that are essential for memory, decision-making ability, learning, and language by 50 percent as compared to the placebo MRI scan. 

Alzheimer’s disease results in the brain shrinking depending on the severity of the disease since critical nerves in the body deteriorate and function poorly. 

Scientists revealed details on Tuesday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia, which is recognized as the world’s largest conference on dementia.