Ozempic used to treat arthritis pain: report
Fox News medical commentator Dr. Marc Siegel appeared on “Fox & Friends” to discuss his views on Ozempic’s use to treat arthritis pain and why some doctors are warning that some medications may affect heat sensitivity.
- Type 2 diabetes patients taking GLP-1 treatments such as Ozempic have a lower risk of obesity-related cancer compared with patients taking insulin or other medications, according to a new study.
- GLP-1 medications for type 2 diabetes are effective in improving glycemic control and promoting weight loss and have been on the market for nearly 20 years.
- Ozempic, approved in 2017, was one of the first in its class.
Type 2 diabetes patients taking GLP-1 treatments, including Ozempic, are less likely to develop 10 types of obesity-related cancers than patients taking insulin or other diabetes medications, according to a study published Friday.
GLP-1 drugs for type 2 diabetes have been on the market for nearly 20 years. Newer generation drugs such as Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Maunjaro are much more effective at controlling blood sugar levels and promoting weight loss. Ozempic was the first of this class of newer drugs approved in 2017.
In a study published Friday in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, researchers looked at the medical records of 1.6 million people with type 2 diabetes who had no history of 13 types of obesity-related cancer, including gallbladder or kidney cancer.
Study suggests Ozempic and Wegovy could be used to treat kidney disease
The study did not disclose which GLP-1 drugs the patients were taking, but the records were for patients who had taken these drugs, insulin, or the diabetes drug metformin between March 2005 and November 2018. Ozempic was only approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in December 2017.
A drug box containing Ozempic is pictured at a pharmacy. Type 2 diabetes patients taking GLP-1 treatments, including Ozempic, were less likely to develop 10 types of obesity-related cancer than those taking insulin or other diabetes medications, according to a study published Friday. (Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images)
The study found that patients who received GLP-1 therapy instead of insulin had a “significantly reduced risk” of 10 of these cancers.
The researchers concluded that their findings provide “preliminary evidence of the potential benefit” of GLP-1 drugs for cancer prevention in high-risk populations, and said further research into the cancer prevention effects of these new generation drugs is warranted.
The study authors did not report receiving any funding from the pharmaceutical companies that sell these medicines.
Click here to get the FOX News app
Approved for the treatment of obesity and found to help patients lose an average of 20 percent weight, the drugs exploded in popularity and generated record profits for Novo and Lilly.
Lilly’s Maunjaro and weight-loss drug Zepbound, as well as Novo’s rival drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, are already being studied to see whether they can improve a range of health issues, from alcoholism to sleep apnea.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March approved Wegovy to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack in overweight or obese adults who don’t have diabetes.
