Research

Dementia research: What is semaglutide?

What is semaglutide?

Semaglutide is a drug that was first developed to help manage type 2 diabetes. More recently, it has also been used to help with weight loss. It is sold as a daily pill, marketed under the brand name Rybelsus, as well as a once-per week self-injection under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy.

Research into people taking drugs like semaglutide for diabetes suggested they may have a reduced risk of developing dementia. After these results, Novo Nordisk (the company that developed semaglutide) started clinical trials to rigorously test whether semaglutide could help treat people with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. 

Could semaglutide help people with Alzheimer’s disease?

Unfortunately, results from the two trials have shown that semaglutide does not slow cognitive decline in mild cognitive impairment or early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.  

Due to these disappointing results, the pharmaceutical company has cancelled the extension phase of the trials. At this stage, only the top-line results of the trial have been shared.  

What is the background?

Research showed several potential ways semaglutide could have beneficial effects on the brain. Animal and cell-based research suggested that semaglutide could reduce amyloid plaques, tau tangles and inflammation in the brain. These are key features of Alzheimer's disease.  

While the top-line results noted an improvement in some Alzheimer's disease-related biomarkers, which suggests an impact on the brain, the results also showed this then doesn't translate into an impact on people's cognition and disease progression.  
 

What are the next steps?

Despite these results, there is a critical window of opportunity to prepare for other disease-modifying treatments coming down the track. 

The Government must invest in getting more people diagnosed at an earlier stage, as one in three people with dementia don’t currently have a diagnosis. 

We must avoid a situation where regulators approve treatments but too many people don't receive them because they don’t have an early and accurate diagnosis. 

Although disappointing for many, no trial is wasted. Every investigation helps us develop better drugs and design better trials in the future. 

Research is hope and there are currently over 130 Alzheimer’s drugs in clinical trials of which around 30 are in late-stage trials, the final step before they are considered by regulators. There are trials ongoing across the globe that test drugs for dementia.