(HealthDay News) — For patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, semaglutide is associated with a reduced risk for a first-time Alzheimer’s disease (AD) diagnosis compared with other antidiabetic medications, according to a study published online Oct. 24 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
William Wang, from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, and colleagues conducted emulation target trials based on a nationwide database of electronic health records for 116 million US patients. Semaglutide was compared to seven other antidiabetic medications in seven target trials emulated among 1,094,761 eligible patients with type 2 diabetes without a prior AD diagnosis. A first-ever diagnosis of AD within a three-year follow-up period was examined.
The researchers found a significant reduction in the risk for a first-time AD diagnosis in association with semaglutide, with the strongest reduction compared with insulin and the weakest compared with other glucagon-like peptide receptor agonists (hazard ratios, 0.33 and 0.59, respectively). Across obesity status, gender, and age groups, similar results were seen…