Published on
Updated
Reading 2 min.
A class of diabetes treatments, including the best-selling Ozempic, is associated with a reduced risk of developing certain cancers, a study finds.
This class of drugs mimics a gut hormone (GLP-1), and while it’s been around for about 20 years, a new generation of these drugs has become a phenomenon in recent years because of the significant weight loss they can cause. Among the new generation: Ozempic, a treatment from the Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk for type 2 diabetes — a disease for which obesity is a major risk factor.
A reduction in the risk of developing 10 cancers
The study, published Friday in the journal JAMAcompared patients with type 2 diabetes who received insulin, and others who received this class of treatments, between 2005 and 2018 in the United States.
GLP-1 analogues studied included those using the molecules liraglutide, lixisenatide, or semaglutide — the one in Ozempic. Ozempic, however, was not approved in the United States until 2017.
The researchers found that patients who received the GLP-1 analogues had a significantly lower risk of developing 10 of the 13 cancers studied, including esophageal, colorectal, kidney, pancreatic, ovarian and liver cancer.
However, no significant effect was found compared to insulin regarding thyroid cancer and breast cancer in post-menopausal women.
A reduction in the risks associated with obesity: cancers, cardiovascular diseases, etc.
“Obesity is known to be associated with at least 13 types of cancer“, said study co-author Rong Xu. So for patients with type 2 diabetes, “Particularly those also affected by obesity, GLP-1 analogues could offer protective effects against certain cancers” she said in a statement to AFP.
“This could prompt doctors to prefer GLP-1 analogues over other diabetes treatments such as insulin for patients at high risk of obesity-related cancers.” she added.
This study is part of an avalanche of others now published on these treatments, which bring hope to millions of people but also astronomical profits to pharmaceutical companies.
Other studies have already pointed out other benefits of this class of treatments, in addition to weight loss, such as a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease.