A diabetes and weight loss drug has been shown to cut brain shrinkage in Alzheimer’s by almost 50 per cent.
The drug, liraglutide, is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, a class that copies a gut hormone which helps regulate blood sugar and appetite.
The family includes semaglutide, known as Wegovy or Ozempic.
In a study involving 204 patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease, led by professor Paul Edison, those given liraglutide had less brain shrinkage and slower cognitive decline than those on placebo.
Reduced shrinkage was seen in the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes, as well as total grey matter. These brain areas support memory, learning, language and decision-making.
The research suggests liraglutide may protect the brains of people with mild Alzheimer’s disease and cut cognitive decline by as much as 18 per cent after one year of treatment.
Researchers believe the drug’s protective effect may stem from actions on inflammation, the build-up of harmful proteins, insulin resistance and amyloid accumulation.
Professor Paul Edison, professor of neuroscience at Imperial’s Department of Brain Sciences, said: “We think liraglutide is protecting the brain possibly by reducing inflammation, lowering insulin resistance and the toxic effects of Alzheimer’s biomarkers or improving how the brain’s nerve cells communicate.”
The randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial included patients seen at 24 clinics across the UK.
Half received a daily injection of up to 1.8 mg of liraglutide, while the other half received a placebo injection.
Because liraglutide and other GLP-1 drugs are already licensed for managing obesity and diabetes, their path to treatment for Alzheimer’s could be relatively swift.
Professor Edison added: “If scientists are able to further demonstrate that this is working in patients with Alzheimer’s disease phase 3 trials, and the FDA approves it for Alzheimer’s, this drug could then be immediately available.
Two independent phase 3 trials are already under way, with findings due at the end of 2025.
