GLP-1 medications, originally approved for diabetes, are rapidly expanding into new therapeutic territory — from cardiovascular to anti-inflammatory effects.
Norma Keller, MD, chief of cardiology at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, recently told Becker’s prevention programs should embrace these therapies.
“We need to become comfortable with them to understand their benefits, limitations and how they interact with other modifiable risk factors,” Dr. Keller said. “This should be a key part of preventive cardiology, not just for primary prevention but after cardiovascular events as well.”
Four other updates on the medication class:
Access
- Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic and Wegovy, said Oct. 3 that it would collaborate with Costco to offer the two medications at a discounted price. Self-paying Costco members will have access to a $499 four-week supply of Ozempic and Wegovy, which is approximately a 50% discount for the diabetes drug and a 60% discount for the weight loss therapy.
- In late September, Walmart expanded its same-day pharmacy services to include refrigerated and reconstituted medications such as insulin, GLP-1s and pediatric amoxicillin.
Study findings
- Injectable GLP-1 medications, including Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro, could compromise results from fludeoxyglucose-18 positron emission tomography and CT scans, which are used to detect tumors or inflammation.
Among patients taking GLP-1 drugs, researchers at U.K.-based Alliance Medical saw unusually high uptake results, or a false positive for disease, according to Newsweek. The researchers do not recommend changing perioperative practices or guidelines based on these findings; rather, they said imaging teams should continue taking complete medical history for each patient.
- Another study, presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology in September, found an anti-inflammatory use case with GLP-1 medications. Compared to 3,000 psoriasis patients taking a non-GLP-1 diabetes medication and more than 110 million healthy Americans, more than 3,000 psoriasis patients taking a GLP-1 saw better health outcomes.
The cohort of psoriasis patients taking GLP-1s had a 78% lower risk of premature death, 44% reduced risk of cardiovascular crises, 65% lower risk of alcohol abuse and nearly 50% lower risk of substance abuse, according to HealthDay.
