Ozempic could be given to help patients with advanced Alzheimer’s disease, it was claimed last night.
Scientists believe the weight-loss jab’s role in reducing inflammation in the body is key as this is common to other conditions including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Trials have started to examine the impact of semaglutide – marketed as Ozempic to treat diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss – in slowing the progression of dementia.
The injections have already proved successful in cutting the risk of heart attacks and cancer.
Research from patients taking Ozempic for type 2 diabetes suggests a smaller risk of dementia and less symptoms among those who do develop Alzheimer’s disease.
A US study of more than one million people with type 2 diabetes found that those given semaglutide had up to a 70 per cent reduced risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease over the next three years.
One US study of more than one million people with Type 2 diabetes found those put on semaglutide had up to a 70 per cent reduced risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease over the next three years.
Jeff Cummings, a professor of brain science and health, said: ‘Let’s start with the more advanced patients, I think we have to develop drugs for more advanced patients.
‘Every patient who has early disease is eventually going on to have late disease, and so we have to find a way of trying to slow that progression into later stage disease. But once they’re there, we have to be able to help them more than we are now.
Trials have started to examine the impact of semaglutide – marketed as Ozempic (pictured) to treat diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss – in slowing the progression of dementia
A person using ozempic. Research from patients taking Ozempic for type 2 diabetes suggests a smaller risk of dementia and less symptoms among those who do develop Alzheimer’s disease
‘But we think drugs like semaglutide, for example, medication that you would take to affect the brain metabolism, or the way the brain works, could have application in later-stage patients, even though, for now, it’s being tested in early-stage patients.’
Dr Jacqui Hanley, head of research funding at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: ‘It is encouraging to see large studies exploring whether drugs already licensed could be repurposed as a dementia treatment. As these drugs have already been shown to be safe for use, this could potentially speed up the process of testing in clinical trials, as well as being significantly cheaper.
‘We know that roughly a third of drugs in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s are treatments used for other conditions. If we are to cure dementia, we must develop a toolkit of treatments that tackle different aspects of the disease and can be used in combination. Research into repurposing drugs may help us do just that.’
It comes as figures show Ozempic prescriptions were given to almost 400 prisoners this year after rates of type 2 diabetes in jail doubled in four years.
In 2024, 396 prisoners were handed Ozempic jabs.
That was down on the 575 prescribed to prisoners last year and 448 in 2022.
An elderley lady (stock image). A US study of more than one million people with type 2 diabetes found that those given semaglutide had up to a 70 per cent reduced risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease over the next three years
But the rates were sharply higher than the 36 given in 2019.
The NHS pays a flat rate of £73.25 per standard Ozempic prescription.
And with 1,770 jabs given to prisoners in the past five years, Ozempic has cost the NHS nearly £130,000 since 2019.
Nearly a fifth (18 per cent) of the total prison population were identified as having type 2 diabetes this year, compared with 9.5 per cent in 2020.