Weight loss drugs could help fight chronic kidney disease, study finds
Blockbuster weight loss drugs created to treat type 2 diabetes appear to help patients with a host of other medical conditions – and now, doctors can add kidney disease to the list.
GLP-1 receptor agonists, which include medicines like Ozempic and Wegovy, work by suppressing people’s appetites and have been approved to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes in the European Union.
But research suggests they may also prove useful for dementia, mental health issues, substance abuse and other problems.
The new analysis, which included 11 studies spanning more than 85,000 people, shows that GLP-1 agonists reduced kidney failure by 16 per cent compared with patients who took a placebo or dummy treatment, regardless of whether they had diabetes or not.
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The drugs curbed the risk of kidney failure, worsening kidney function, and death from kidney disease by 18 per cent, according to the study, which was published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal.
In line with other research, the study also found that GLP-1 agonists helped with heart conditions, reducing the risk of cardiovascular-related deaths, heart attacks, and strokes by 13 per cent compared with a placebo.
The results indicate GLP-1s have a “key role” in improving kidney and heart outcomes for patients with common medical conditions, Dr Sunil Badve, the study’s lead author, a nephrologist, and a professor at the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) in Australia, said in a statement.
“These results are particularly important for patients with chronic kidney disease,” Badve said.
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Chronic kidney disease, which affects 100 million Europeans, is a progressive condition that causes kidney failure, leading patients to either go on dialysis or seek a transplant.
These patients are at higher risk of heart attack or stroke, which is why the US-based National Kidney Foundation says GLP-1 drugs may help slow the progression of kidney disease by addressing cardiovascular risk factors.
The next step for the new research is to make it easier for kidney and cardiovascular disease patients to access GLP-1s, according to Dr Vlado Perkovic, one of the study’s authors and provost at UNSW Sydney.
“More work is now needed to implement the results of this study into clinical practice and improve access to GLP-1 receptor agonists to people who will benefit from them,” Perkovic said.
