Novo Nordisk and Lilly’s GLP-1 agonists show promise in type 1 diabetes

Pharma News: GLP-1 receptor agonists lead to significant weight loss and improve blood sugar control in individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) who are living with overweight or obesity, new research presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) congress has found.

The two relatively new drugs, Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic (semaglutide) and Lilly’s Mounjaro (tirzepatide), have regulatory approval in type 2 diabetes and for weight loss. While they are not approved to treat T1D, they are increasingly being considered or prescribed off-label for this purpose, typically in patients who are living with overweight or obesity.

To address the lack of data, Dr Janet Snell-Bergeon and colleagues assessed the efficacy of the two drugs in T1D patients.

The results show that those treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists groups lost significantly more weight than the controls.

Almost all of those treated with the drugs lost at least 5% of their body weight (77% of semaglutide users, 93% of tirzepatide users), compared to 14% of the controls. And 47% of those receiving semaglutide and 87% of those receiving tirzepatide lost at least 10% of their body weight.

Over 12 months, those on semaglutide shed 9.1% of their body weight (19.2lb/8.7kg) with a 3kg/m² BMI reduction. Meanwhile, tirzepatide users achieved a substantial 21.4% weight loss (49.4lb/22.4kg) and 7.5kg/m² BMI decrease.

Dr Snell-Bergeon said “This amount of weight loss has been seen in other studies of these drugs and is likely to lower the risk of a number of consequences of obesity including heart disease and insulin resistance.”

Additionally, both drugs significantly improved glycaemic control without increasing hypoglycaemia or ketosis hospitalisations. Notably, tirzepatide users reduced their insulin requirements, indicating improved insulin sensitivity.

“A growing number of individuals with type 1 diabetes are living with obesity, partly because the intensive insulin therapy that is required to manage blood sugar levels can cause weight gain,” Dr Snell Bergeon stated.

She further added, “Semaglutide and tirzepatide can lead to significant weight loss in these patients and improve their blood sugar levels, which could reduce their risk of complications of obesity and diabetes, including heart disease and eye, nerve and kidney problems.

“These drugs could be a valuable addition to insulin in the treatment of type 1 diabetes.”

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