Researchers are looking at the possibility of using "miracle" weight-loss medicines to treat illnesses like dementia and alcohol addiction, following promising results from previous clinical studies.
Novo Nordisk earlier said that its Wegovy weight-loss injectable helped at-risk patients experience significant reductions in heart failure-related symptoms based on findings from late-stage trials.
The announcement comes only a few weeks after the Danish pharmaceutical firm released the findings of its highly anticipated SELECT research, which demonstrated the drug's involvement in lowering the risk of serious cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes.
Researchers are optimistic that the results signal favorable news for the medications' various uses and a big milestone for the firm as it strives to widen perceptions of its product.
Treating Alcohol Addiction and Dementia
According to CNBC, several researchers are looking at the possibility of using appetite-regulating systems at work in weight-loss medicines to treat things like substance abuse.
Both Wegovy by Novo Nordisk and Mounjaro by Eli Lilly suppress appetite by mimicking a hormone produced in the digestive tract. They do this by using GLP-1 receptor agonists like semaglutide and liraglutide as their active components.
GLP-1 medicine has been shown to be effective in lowering drug and alcohol consumption in pre-clinical trials for a number of years. To see whether these tendencies are true, experts are doing tests using Ozempic, the drug that came before Wegovy and was used to treat type 2 diabetes.
Early signs indicate the medications' usefulness in lowering cocaine, amphetamine, and opioid cravings, according to Kyle Simmons, professor of pharmacology and physiology at Oklahoma State University. If expanded uses of the drugs are shown to be beneficial, the consequences might be huge.
Researchers are keeping their fingers crossed that the weight-loss medications will be useful in the treatment of dementia and other mental illnesses, as well.
The most prevalent form of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, is believed to be caused by the accumulation of two proteins called amyloid and tau in the brain. Now, at the University of Oxford, researchers are testing whether the drugs may reduce tau buildup and brain inflammation in people at risk for developing dementia due to excessive amyloid in the brain.
"We want to see if these drugs are interfering with the core Alzheimer's disease pathology," Ivan Koychev, the senior clinical researcher directing the trial, told CNBC.
Other Issues
However, other potential applications for weight-loss medicines may increase the challenges currently experienced by patients taking them, including high pricing and supply constraints.
Eli Lilly has warned of ongoing delays in Mounjaro manufacturing owing to similar limits, while Novo Nordisk has extended restrictions on initial dosages of Wegovy. Both were announced earlier this month.
Meanwhile, some patients reportedly have experienced suicidal or self-harming thoughts while taking the medications, raising worries about potential side effects.
