Sunday 7 July 2024

Health and Wellness News: Diabetes patients on GLP-1s instead of insulin have lower cancer risk, study shows

Diabetes patients on GLP-1s instead of insulin have lower cancer risk, study shows


The findings are "preliminary evidence of the potential benefit" of GLP-1 drugs

for cancer prevention in high-risk population.


By Reuters, July 5, 2024

                                      Diabetes (illustrative) (photo credit: INGIMAGE)


Patients with type 2 diabetes taking GLP-1 treatments, which include Ozempic, have a lower chance of developing 10 types of obesity-related cancers than those taking insulin and other diabetes drugs, according to a study published on Friday.


GLP-1 treatments for type 2 diabetes have been on the market for nearly 20 years. The newer generation - such as Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro - are far more effective at controlling blood sugar levels and inducing weight loss. Ozempic was the first of the newer generation in the class to be approved, in 2017.


In the study published on Friday in medical journal JAMA Network Open, researchers examined the medical records of 1.6 million patients with type 2 diabetes who had no prior history of 13 types of obesity-related cancers including gallbladder cancer and kidney cancer.


The study did not specify which GLP-1 medicines the patients took, but the records were for patients on these medicines or insulin or the diabetes drug metformin between March 2005 and November 2018. Ozempic was only approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in December 2017.


In the study published on Friday in medical journal JAMA Network Open, researchers examined the medical records of 1.6 million patients with type 2 diabetes who had no prior history of 13 types of obesity-related cancers including gallbladder cancer and kidney cancer.


A blood glucose test is done to check sugar levels in a Type 2 Diabetes patient (credit: DARRYL LEJA/NIH/FLICKR)


Prevention in high-risk populations 



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