Ozempic shown in JAMA study to lower obesity-associated cancer risk

A study of more than 1.6M patients with type 2 diabetes who had no prior diagnosis of 13 obesity-associated cancers found that patients with type 2 diabetes treated with GLP-1s versus insulin had a significant risk reduction in 10 of 13 obesity-associated cancers, including esophageal, colorectal, endometrial, gallbladder, kidney, liver, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer as well as meningioma and multiple myeloma, according to an original investigation posted in JAMA. No decrease in cancer risk was associated with GLP-1RAs compared with metformin, the study found. The study provides clinical data suggesting that GLP-1s may reduce the risk of specific obesity-associated cancers compared with insulins, JAMA stated. “In this study, GLP-1RAs were associated with lower risks of specific types of OACs compared with insulins or metformin in patients with T2D. These findings provide preliminary evidence of the potential benefit of GLP-1RAs for cancer prevention in high-risk populations and support further preclinical and clinical studies for the prevention of certain OACs,” the study concluded. The group of GLP-1s in the study included Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) Ozempic. Novo’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s (LLY) Zepbound have been approved since the study ended.