Scientists Found a Surprising Effect of Ozempic. It Involves Your Lungs
A study suggests that GLP-1 medications like Ozempic may significantly reduce asthma and COPD flare-ups in patients. Researchers observed a nearly 40% reduction in asthma attacks among semaglutide users compared to those on other diabetes treatments.
Why it matters
This finding could expand the therapeutic use of popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs to include respiratory health management.
Ozempic, the asthma buster? Research published earlier this week suggests it’s true.
Scientists in the UK examined the medical records of people with airway diseases like asthma who started taking GLP-1 medications like semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy). Compared to people taking other diabetes drugs, GLP-1 users were significantly less likely to report flare-ups of their asthma or other respiratory conditions, they found. More study is warranted to further assess this potential added benefit of GLP-1 therapy, the researchers say.
“While the findings suggest that some people taking GLP-1 receptor agonists may experience fewer respiratory attacks, this needs confirmation in clinical trials,” said study author Chloe Bloom, a respiratory epidemiologist at the Imperial College London, in a statement from the European Respiratory Society.
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