GLP-1 medications like Mounjaro and Saxenda might benefit stroke survivors and reduce some patients' healthcare costs, according to researchers.
Here are six recent GLP-1 studies:
1. The use of Ozempic and Wegovy reduced healthcare costs for overweight or obese patients with heart failure or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to studies presented Nov. 3-6 at the Obesity Society's annual Obesity Week conference.
Among 806 patients with heart failure, average annual medical costs declined $7,502, from $29,654 before treatment to $22,152 after treatment. Among 1,282 patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, the average total medical cost fell by $9,276, or from $25,233 to $15,957.
2. Stroke survivors who took GLP-1 or sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor medications had a 74% lower risk of death than those who did not take these therapies, according to a preliminary study of 7,044 adult stroke survivors.
The results were presented at the American Heart Association's annual Scientific Sessions in mid-November.
3. A three-year, phase 3 trial found that Eli Lilly's Mounjaro significantly reduced the risk of progression to Type 2 diabetes in prediabetic adults. Nearly 99% of patients who took Mounjaro remained diabetes-free by the end of the study.
4. The use of GLP-1s — Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda and Victoza — were associated with a reduced risk of hospitalization due to alcohol-related events, according to researchers who analyzed data from 227,886 patients diagnosed with alcohol use disorder between 2006 and 2021.
5. Compared to a placebo, patients with Type 2 diabetes who took a GLP-1 saw reduced major adverse cardiovascular events by 13%, the composite kidney outcome by 18%, kidney failure by 16% and all-cause death by 12%, on average. The study compiled GLP-1 trials that had at least 500 participants and lasted over 12 months.
6. Amgen's experimental GLP-1 drug, MariTide, resulted in an average 20% reduction in body weight in nondiabetic adults who are obese or overweight. The 52-week, phase 2 study also investigated the weight loss results among adults with Type 2 diabetes who were obese or overweight, and found an average 17% reduction in weight loss.