The diabetes and weight-loss injection semaglutide can reduce asthma attacks by up to 40%, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The study was led by Chloe Bloom, clinical associate professor in respiratory epidemiology at the National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, UK, and presented by Dr. Bohee Lee.
Bloom said, "GLP-1 receptor agonists are widely used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. Previous research suggests that they may have anti-inflammatory effects and may improve lung-related outcomes. However, asthma and COPD outcomes have not been included as outcomes in GLP-1 drug trials.
"We wanted to use real-world health records to investigate whether people with asthma or COPD who started GLP-1 receptor agonists had fewer acute respiratory attacks."
Using UK electronic medical records, the researchers conducted four parallel studies that each looked at between 20,000 and 22,000 people who started taking any type of GLP-1 treatment or another type of diabetes medication called sulfonylureas.
They found that people with airway diseases such as asthma and COPD who were prescribed GLP-1 therapies appeared to have fewer asthma attacks and COPD flare-ups than similar people who were prescribed other diabetes medicines.
