Although one GLP-1 study made national headlines about the drug class’ potential use in addiction treatment, other research indicates GLP-1s could increase the risk of bone injuries and are less effective than other medications for chronic kidney disease.
Here are three GLP-1 study findings to know:
1. Potential use for substance use disorder
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis found an association between GLP-1 medication use and a decreased substance use disorder risk, according to a study published March 4 in The BMJ.
The study analyzed data from more than 600,000 veterans with Type 2 diabetes and found GLP-1s use had a 14% lower risk of developing any substance use disorder compared to veterans taking other diabetes medications. Risk declined 18% for alcohol, 14% for cannabis, 20% for cocaine and nicotine and 25% for opioids.
Among veterans with preexisting substance use disorders, GLP-1 use was associated with 30% fewer emergency department visits, 25% fewer hospitalizations, 40% fewer overdoses and 50% fewer drug-related deaths over three years.
2. Risks of osteoporosis and gout
In early March, two separate retrospective studies found associations between GLP-1 medications and an elevated osteoporosis risk for some patients.
One preprint study, which was presented March 2 at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ annual meeting in New Orleans, analyzed five years of medical records for more than 146,000 patients with obesity and Type 2 diabetes. About 4% of those taking GLP-1s developed osteoporosis, while the control group had a 3% osteoporosis rate. The study also found gout rates were 7.4% for GLP-1 users versus 6.6% for nonusers.
Epic Research conducted the other study, which used Epic’s Cosmos database to evaluate osteoporosis risk among approximately 2 million adults with Type 2 diabetes and 380,000 without diabetes. Findings differed across the two patients groups. The researchers found an 8.7% lower osteoporosis risk for patients taking GLP-1s for Type 2 diabetes and a 22% higher osteoporosis risk for GLP-1 users who maintained a stable weight and did not have diabetes.
3. Drug effectiveness in lowering kidney disease and injury risk
When it comes to lowering the risk of chronic kidney disease and acute kidney injury SGLT2 inhibitors may be more effective than GLP-1s, according to a study comparing the two drug classes.
The Denmark-based study, published Jan. 20 in JAMA, analyzed data on more than 36,000 patients who took sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors — which include Jardiance, Farxiga and Invokana — and nearly 19,000 who took GLP-1 receptor agonists — such as Ozempic.
The researchers found a 6.7% risk for developing chronic kidney disease over five years in the SGLT2 inhibitor group, compared to an 8.2% risk in the GLP-1 cohort. Additionally, in the SGLT2 group, 25.2 per 100 individuals experienced acute kidney injury within five years, compared to 28.7 per 100 individuals in the GLP-1 group.
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