Drug maker Novo Nordisk says semaglutide, the active ingredient for the weight loss jab Wegovy, does not slow Alzheimer’s – despite initial hopes that it might help against dementia.Researchers began two large trials involving more than 3,800 people after reports the medicine was having an impact in the real world.But the studies showed the GLP-1 drug, which is already used to manage type 2 diabetes and obesity, made no difference compared to a dummy drug. The disappointing results are due to be presented at an Alzheimer’s disease conference next month and are yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.Dr Susan Kohlhaas from Alzheimer’s Research UK said the results would come as a blow for people affected by Alzheimer’s.Martin Holst Lange, chief scientific officer and executive vice president of research and development at Novo Nordisk, said: “Based on the significant unmet need in Alzheimer’s disease as well as a number of indicative data points, we felt we had a responsibility to explore semaglutide’s potential, despite a low likelihood of success.”While semaglutide did not demonstrate efficacy in slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, the extensive body of evidence supporting semaglutide continues to provide benefits for individuals with type 2 diabetes, obesity, and related comorbidities,” he said. The patients who took part in the Evoke trials were aged between 55 and 85 and had mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease.Dementia progression was monitored and measured through tests and interviews. Treatment with semaglutide resulted in improvement of Alzheimer’s disease-related biomarkers, but this did not translate into delaying progre …
