This content material initially appeared on On a regular basis Well being. Republished with permission.
By Don Rauf
Key Takeaways
- Semaglutide considerably lowered the speed of problems in people with diabetes and continual kidney illness.
- Folks on semaglutide noticed an 18 % drop of their threat of cardiovascular problems like coronary heart assault and a 20 % drop within the threat of demise from any trigger.
- Frequent unwanted side effects of semaglutide embody nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Typically referred to as a surprise drug for kind 2 diabetes and weight problems, semaglutide — the energetic ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy — could considerably enhance kidney perform in folks with diabetes who’ve continual kidney illness.
New analysis outcomes offered this week on the Annual Scientific Periods of the American Diabetes Affiliation (ADA) confirmed that semaglutide diminished the probability of main kidney illness–associated occasions — particularly kidney failure, substantial lack of kidney perform, and demise from kidney or cardiovascular causes — in these sufferers by 24 %.
The examine, which was printed within the journal Nature Drugs, additionally discovered that semaglutide could present extra profit for people who’re already taking diabetes drugs referred to as SGLT2 inhibitors, akin to Jardiance (empagliflozin), Farxiga (dapagliflozin), and Invokana (canagliflozin).[1]
“This can be a affected person inhabitants at excessive threat of extreme kidney outcomes,” stated Richard E. Pratley, MD, a examine creator and medical director on the AdventHealth Diabetes Institute Orlando, Florida, in an announcement. “Regardless of present therapy choices, there may be nonetheless a transparent unmet want for this group. The findings from the trial have the potential to vary the illness course of those high-risk sufferers and pave the best way for brand spanking new therapy methods, providing hope to thousands and thousands of sufferers globally.”
Diabetes is the main explanation for continual kidney illness (CKD), and about 30 to 40 % of kind 2 sufferers are estimated to have the situation.[2]
Threat of Loss of life From Coronary heart Assaults and Different Causes Dropped by 20 P.c
When kidneys don’t work nicely, there may be extra stress on the guts, which partially explains why folks residing with kind 2 diabetes are extra probably than others to develop and die from cardiovascular illnesses, akin to coronary heart assaults, strokes and coronary heart failure.[3]
On this trial, which adopted greater than 3,500 folks with kind 2 diabetes and continual kidney illness over a median of three.4 years, individuals who took a weekly shot of semaglutide along with commonplace care skilled 18 % fewer main cardiovascular occasions than these receiving a placebo. The danger of demise from any trigger was 20 % decrease within the semaglutide group.
Semaglutide Additionally Helped Folks Already Taking Different Medicine That Increase Kidney Well being
As a result of SGLT2 inhibitors for diabetes therapy are additionally efficient at slowing the development of kidney illness, the researchers needed to see if semaglutide would have extra profit for sufferers taking these medicine.[4]
In an evaluation of 550 contributors who have been taking both SGLT2 inhibitors or a placebo, scientists discovered that semaglutide’s profit was comparable with or with out SGLT2 use.
“We are able to say that semaglutide diminished the chance of the main kidney outcomes in folks with kind 2 diabetes, regardless of baseline SGLT2 inhibitor used,” stated Katherine Tuttle, MD, a examine creator within the division of nephrology on the College of Washington in Seattle, in the course of the ADA assembly presentation.
How Semaglutide Could Assist Kidney Illness
Examine authors famous that semaglutide takers had an improved estimated glomerular filtration charge (a take a look at that measures your degree of kidney perform) in contrast with the placebo group.
Additionally they misplaced about 9 kilos on common.
“Semaglutide works by mimicking a pure hormone, GLP-1, to gradual abdomen emptying, and by performing on starvation facilities within the mind that result in people feeling extra full when consuming, and due to this fact consuming much less and reducing weight,” explains Robert Gabbay, MD, the chief scientific and medical officer for the American Diabetes Affiliation.
However, he provides, “The mechanism of the drug’s impact on kidney illness just isn’t fully clear.”
As a result of additional weight pushes the kidneys to work tougher and filter wastes above the conventional degree, Ty Diwan, MD, a transplant surgeon with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, suspects weight reduction to be a driving consider bettering outcomes.
“The examine outcomes assist to emphasise the function that weight problems performs in renal [kidney] illness and exemplifies how therapy of weight problems, through drugs or surgical procedure, can probably enhance continual renal illness,” says Dr. Diwan, who was not concerned within the analysis.
Semaglutide Comes With Facet Results
Whereas calling these new findings “thrilling,” Alyssa Dominguez, MD, an endocrinologist with Keck Drugs of USC in Los Angeles, gives just a few phrases of warning about widespread unwanted side effects of semaglutide.
“Sufferers ought to be recommended about potential gastrointestinal opposed results akin to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea,” says Dr. Dominguez, who was not concerned within the examine. Folks on these drugs want to remain well-hydrated, she provides, and may contact their physician in the event that they expertise critical unwanted side effects.
