Ozempic may reduce nicotine use, dementia risk | Wilnesh News

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good morning! Novo NordiskThe company’s blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic may have more uses than regulating blood sugar and promoting weight loss.

That’s according to a new study from the University of Oxford analyze Research published last week found that Ozempic could reduce the risk of dementia and a range of other psychiatric problems compared with other existing treatments for people with diabetes. What’s more, researchers found that Ozempic reduced nicotine dependence in these patients.

The findings add to the potential health benefits of Ozempic and other popular GLP-1 therapies, such as Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss injection Wegovy and rival Eli Lilly’s drug.

Large clinical trials have shown that semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, can reduce the risk of serious cardiovascular complications and kidney disease. Other studies are examining GLP-1 in patients with conditions such as sleep apnea and fatty liver disease, and evaluating whether these drugs can curb addictive behaviors such as alcohol abuse and even gambling.

Now, let’s dive into the new analysis published Thursday in The Lancet, an electronic journal of clinical medicine.

The study relied on the medical records of more than 100,000 U.S. patients with diabetes, including more than 20,000 patients who took semaglutide between December 2017 and May 2021.

Researchers compared semaglutide to three other diabetes treatments: MerckJanuvia, or sitagliptin; PfizerGlucotrol, or glipizide; and Eli Lilly and Company and Boehringer Ingelheim’s Jardiance, or empagliflozin. They compared the risk of 22 neurological and psychiatric outcomes over one year of treatment with different diabetes medications.

Overall, Ozempic may reduce the risk of cognitive problems and nicotine dependence, the researchers said.

After one year, patients taking Ozempic had a 48% lower risk of developing dementia than those taking Januvia. Ozempic patients also had a 37% lower risk than those taking Glucotrol and 9% lower than those taking Jardiance.

It is worth noting that previously Research It has been established that people with diabetes are at greater risk of developing dementia.

Patients taking Ozempic also experienced an 18% reduction in nicotine dependence compared to those taking Januvia. Ozempic patients also experienced a 28% reduction in nicotine dependence compared with patients taking Glucotrol and a 23% reduction compared with patients taking Jardiance.

Dr Riccardo De Giorgi, clinical lecturer at the University of Oxford and lead author of the study, said: “Our findings suggest that the use of semaglutide is not limited to the treatment of diabetes but may also have implications in the treatment and prevention of cognitive decline and substance abuse. Unexpected benefits. statement.

But the authors stress that the analysis is observational. Dr. Max Taquet, another clinical lecturer at the University of Oxford and senior study author, said these results need to be replicated in a controlled trial in which patients are randomized to take Ozempic and other drugs.

We will continue to monitor future research in this area, so stay tuned for our coverage.

Please feel free to send Annika any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data: annikakim.constantino@nbcuni.com.

UnitedHealth GroupThe cyber attack woes are not over yet.

Healthcare giant reports Second quarter results The company beat analysts’ forecasts on revenue and profit on Tuesday but raised its forecast for the per-share impact of the Change Healthcare cyberattack.

UnitedHealth reported revenue of $98.86 billion for the quarter, slightly above analysts’ expectations of $98.84 billion, according to London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) data. The company’s adjusted earnings per share for the period were $6.80, compared with Wall Street expectations of $6.66 per share.

UnitedHealth reiterated its full-year adjusted profit forecast of $27.50 to $28; however, it disclosed an expected business disruption impact of 60 to 70 cents per share, higher than the 30 to 40 cents per share it provided last quarter. UnitedHealth said the impact of the business interruption includes lost revenue and the “cost of maintaining a full state of readiness” for Change Healthcare’s affected services.

Shares of UnitedHealth were up about 3% on Tuesday morning.

Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth, provides payment and revenue cycle management tools. The company processes more than 15 billion billing transactions annually, and one-third of patient records pass through its system, according to its website.

In February of this year, UnitedHealth discovered that cyber threat actors had compromised part of Change Healthcare’s information technology network. The company immediately isolated and disconnected the affected systems “upon detection” of the threat, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The disruption has had a severe impact on the entire U.S. healthcare system, as many doctors are temporarily unable to fill prescriptions or get paid for their services. Some providers deduct thousands of dollars from their services personal savings To make ends meet.

In May, UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty revealed that the company paid a $22 million ransom to attackers to prevent them from releasing patients’ personal health data. He estimated the breach could affect as many as one-third of Americans.

UnitedHealth said Tuesday it has restored “most” services at Change Healthcare, based on its earnings release. The company said it also provided more than $9 billion in advance payments to providers in need, according to the release.

Read UnitedHealth’s full earnings report here.

Please feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Ashley at ashley.capoot@nbcuni.com.