Slimming injections of the brands “Wegovy”, “Ozempic” and “Mounjaro” are sold in the Achat Pharmacy in Mitte.
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Hello! The list of potential health benefits of a booming class of weight-loss and diabetes medications continues to grow.
New data from the interim phase of the study on Tuesday showed that Novo NordiskAn older, once-daily GLP-1 drug for diabetes and obesity called liraglutide may slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease by protecting patients' brains.
Just a day earlier, a new study found that semaglutide – the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's weight-loss injection Wegovy and its diabetes counterpart Ozempic – can also help people quit smoking.
These GLP-1 treatments mimic hormones produced in the gut to suppress a person's appetite and regulate blood sugar. Researchers also believe the drugs may help treat other conditions through additional effects on the body, such as reducing inflammation.
However, much more research is needed to confirm this, and larger and longer studies are needed before regulators can approve weight loss and diabetes drugs for additional uses.
In March, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took the first major step towards wider use of the drugs when it approved Wegovy because it dramatically reduced the risk of serious heart complications.
Additional approvals for the drug and other weight-loss drugs could increase pressure on insurers to cover the treatments, many of which can cost around $1,000 a month. Patchy insurance coverage for Wegovy and other weight-loss drugs is a major barrier to access for patients.
Here are some of the other conditions GLP-1 is being tested for:
Cardiovascular health
- In a late-stage study, Novo Nordisk's Wegovy reduced the overall risk of heart attack, stroke and death from cardiovascular causes by 20 percent in patients with obesity and heart disease.
- In a large study, Wegovy helped people with obesity, diabetes and heart failure have fewer cardiovascular symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath.
- Eli Lilly is currently conducting an advanced-stage trial of tirzepatide — the active ingredient in its weight-loss drug Zepbound and its diabetes drug Mounjaro — in patients with obesity and heart failure. The trial is expected to be completed later this month.
Chronic kidney disease
- Novo Nordisk's Ozempic delayed the progression of chronic kidney disease in diabetes patients and reduced the risk of death from it and from serious cardiac events by 24 percent in a late-stage study.
- Eli Lilly is investigating tirzepatide in an interim study in patients with obesity and chronic kidney disease. The study is scheduled to end in 2026.
Fatty liver disease
- Eli Lilly's Zepbound helped up to 74% of patients become disease-free without worsening liver scarring. By comparison, in an interim study, only 13% of people received no treatment after 52 weeks.
- Novo Nordisk is investigating semaglutide in a late-stage study for a common type of fatty liver disease.
- Other pharmaceutical companies such as Zealand Pharma, Viking TherapeuticsAnd Altimmun also investigate the respective treatment options for weight loss and diabetes in patients with fatty liver disease.
Sleep apnea
- Eli Lilly's Zepbound helped reverse moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in up to 52% of patients in two late-stage studies. The FDA is currently reviewing Zepbound for this use.
Alzheimer's disease
Seeks
- Outside researchers are investigating the potential of GLP-1 to curb addictive behaviors, including nicotine and alcohol use.
- Novo Nordisk plans a trial with a secondary goal of finding out whether semaglutide and other treatments can change daily alcohol consumption, according to the U.S. government's clinical trial registry. The primary goal of the mid-stage trial is to measure the drugs' effects on liver scarring in patients with alcohol-related liver disease.
Feel free to send tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Annika at annikakim.constantino@nbcuni.com.
Latest technology in healthcare
Heads of Commure and Augmedix announce details of new acquisition
The healthcare sector can’t get enough of AI documentation tools. Just ask the CEOs of Commure and Augmedix.
Commure offers a range of solutions, including an AI scribe and a revenue cycle service, designed to help reduce the administrative burden on clinicians. The company was co-founded in 2017 by Hemant Taneja, the CEO and managing director of venture capital firm General Catalyst.
Earlier this month, Commure announced a new addition to its portfolio: the company is acquiring a separate AI-based writing company called Augmedix.
Founded in 2012, Augmedix was one of the first companies to introduce AI-powered medical documentation in hospitals and healthcare systems. These tools help doctors save time by recording their conversations with patients and automatically converting them into clinical notes and summaries using AI. Augmedix specializes in using the technology in settings such as emergency rooms.
On July 19, Commure agreed to take Augmedix private in an all-cash deal. Commure will acquire all of Augmedix's outstanding common stock, valued at approximately $139 million, according to a press release. Augmedix shareholders will receive $2.35 per share. The company's board of directors unanimously approved the deal, according to the press release.
CNBC met with Commure CEO Tanay Tandon and Augmedix CEO Manny Krakaris on Monday to learn more about the acquisition and what it means for both companies.
Tandon said the two companies initially met to discuss partnership opportunities because they are both suppliers to HCA Healthcare, one of the largest health systems in the U.S. But as the discussions progressed, they realized the organizations could work together in a more comprehensive way, he said.
Commure already has an ambient documentation tool, but it is specialized for outpatient and ambulatory settings, while Augmedix's offering is specialized for acute care settings. The companies decided to merge the tools to minimize the friction that can arise from documenting individual parts of patient care.
“You have to have documentation that covers the entire journey. It doesn’t end when you leave the [emergency department]and then start over again when they are admitted to the hospital,” Krakaris said. “Today, trying to bridge those two worlds is a huge, labor-intensive step.”
Tandon said there is a lot of buzz in the AI transcription services market, and he expects a segmentation between high-level transcriptionists that automate simple tasks and enterprise-level transcriptionists that enable deeper integration with electronic health records and revenue cycles.
Commure is interested in building the latter, and Krakaris said the real value of the Augmedix acquisition will be in merging the tools and merging the back-end technologies on one platform.
“It's kind of under the surface, it's like an iceberg, but that's where the value lies,” he said. “It's not something you can see very well in the application itself.”
In the short term, Commure and Augmedix are working on the relevant approvals and closing the deal with shareholders. Once this is complete, they will start planning new implementations and targeting customers with the combined solution.
The companies are still working out exactly what the acquisition will mean for the Augmedix brand, but it will likely look something like this: “Augmedix powered by Commure,” Tandon said.
“If we do this integration well and do our job well here, we will have a first-class product that actually solves many of these problems in practice, and then also all the tasks that arise after the patient dies,” he said.
The full press release on the deal can be found here.
Feel free to send tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Ashley at ashley.capoot@nbcuni.com.
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