Best-selling drug for weight loss and diabetes now shown to reduce risk of kidney failure and death

The study, which included more than 3,500 patients and involved follow-up of up to more than three years, showed that once-weekly drug treatment reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and the risk of death due. any cause of 20 percent.

“Semaglutide reduced the risk of clinically important renal outcomes and cardiovascular death in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease,” the researchers noted.

The study is further evidence of the benefits of semaglutide, an anti-diabetic drug from Danish manufacturer Novo Nordisk that has been shown to be incredibly effective for rapid weight loss.

Semaglutide contains a compound known as a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, which mimics a natural gut hormone known to send full appetite signals to the brain.

The US Food and Drug Administrator (US FDA) has approved its two versions in injectable form – Wegovy (higher dose for weight loss) and Ozempic (lower dose for diabetes) – in recent years.

In India, however, the drug is only available in oral form under the brand name Rybelsus, with indications for use in adults with diabetes mellitus. However, its high cost – a daily dose of one tablet costing over Rs 260 – has made the drug out of reach for many.

However, some experts ThePrint spoke to said the new findings, which they described as “huge”, would likely boost their popularity among patients and doctors, especially in a country like India, which has a diabetes burden of nearly 101 million people, making it the “diabetes capital of the world”.

Studies have also established that almost 30 to 40 percent of people with diabetes in India develop complications related to chronic kidney disease.

“Despite recent advances in the treatment of diabetes and kidney disease, many patients with diabetic kidney disease continue to lose kidney function over the years,” said Dr. Vaibhav Keskar, nephrologist and kidney transplant specialist. at Fortis Hospital in Mumbai.

Keskar said the study offers hope and provides an additional treatment option for doctors preventing and treating diabetic kidney disease.

The latest study comes months after an announcement from Novo Nordisk, claiming that a 2.4 mg dose of the drug can reduce cardiovascular and related deaths by up to 20%.

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“Wonder drug,” but it comes with a warning

Semaglutide has quickly become one of the world’s “wonder drugs”, alongside another GLP-1 agonist, Eli Lilly & Company’s tirzepatide, available under the brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound.

This is because the drug, mimicking glucagon-like peptide-1, has not only shown benefits in reducing blood sugar levels by increasing the release of insulin from the pancreas, but it also slows the passage food in the stomach and demonstrates weight loss capabilities by signaling to the brain that the person’s stomach is full, said Dr Urmila Anandh, who heads the nephrology department at Amrita Hospital in Faridabad.

The latest study further proved the drug’s effectiveness in slowing the progression of chronic kidney disease and reducing cardiac events and mortality in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease, which is significant, he said. she declared.

But other ThePrint have spoken We highlighted that while this is encouraging news and millions of people with diabetes will likely have access to additional medication to protect their kidneys, challenges still exist.

“Many patients do not tolerate injections due to gastrointestinal side effects. Common gastrointestinal effects of semaglutide include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation,” Keskar said.

(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)

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