GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic may do more than aid with diabetes and weight loss, expert says

The University of Toronto’s Dr. Daniel Drucker expands on new research pointing to GLP-1 efficacy beyond weight loss and diabetes.

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are commonly prescribed to treat diabetes and help with weight loss, but one leading expert says early studies show that there may be other health benefits.

Dr. Daniel Drucker, a clinician-scientist who develops treatments for diabetes, obesity, and intestinal disorders and a professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto, says taking these drugs can help various other health conditions.

Beyond weight loss

“We’ve learned over the last few years that these medicines reduce heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, arthritis and peripheral artery disease, and weight loss doesn’t seem to be the story,” Drucker told CTV Your Morning on Tuesday.

“There’s a tremendous trust in inflammation and weight loss, independent actions of these medicines.”

Drucker also says these drugs can have beneficial effects on the brain, including with substance use disorder.

“People struggling with alcohol, smoking, opioids, cannabinoids or even compulsive behaviors, it seems to take down some of the pleasure associated with these activities,” he said.

Drucker says data shows GLP-1 drugs might help prevent the development of Alzheimer’s, despite two large trials involving people with established disease failing to show a benefit. As a result, the focus has shifted to testing the intervention earlier in the course of the disease.

‘Huge’ interest in expanding benefits

Although some Canadians may have only become more aware of these drugs in recent years as their popularity has grown in public discourse, they have been around for nearly two decades, Drucker says.

He says as science continues to advance, scientists are always learning more about these drugs.

“We have a lot of preclinical data in the lab that is pointing out new indications that we hadn’t been aware of before, and then when we test those ideas in the clinic, we start to see that patients are responding in other areas beyond blood sugar control, beyond weight loss, and that spurred a large number of trials,” he added.

“We have trials on arthritis and psoriasis in people with skin disease, lung inflammation, skin inflammation, so there’s a huge interest in expanding the potential benefits of these medicines.”

• READ MORE: Health Canada approves first generic version of Ozempic