LONDON. Medications against diabeteswhich also help in weight loss such as Ozempic Novo Nordisk has already attracted the attention of investors and celebrities. These drugs may be able to treat some incurable neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Diabetes drugs, from Ozempic to older drugs like insulin and metformin, appear to affect parts of the metabolic system involved in the development of Alzheimer’s, such as amyloid protein, according to new medical research.

The researchers hope that the improvement in glucose metabolic activity and the anti-inflammatory properties of these drugs may prove beneficial to brain function. If these drugs prove effective, they could stop the progression of degenerative neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Many of the scientists who spoke to Reuters pointed to the growing body of medical evidence from the experimental administration of antidiabetic drugs to patients with neurodegenerative diseases. However, the first tangible results will appear many years later, and the success of these experiments remains in question. However, interest peaked on encouraging data about a new Alzheimer’s drug jointly developed by pharmaceutical companies Eisai, Biogen and Eli Lilly.

The drug has been shown to be effective in removing the sticky amyloid plaques that build up in the brain over the years, limiting clarity and leading to disease. These successes were preceded by decades of futile efforts that led many to question whether the amyloid theory was correct and whether experimental drugs for Alzheimer’s were effective.

Clinical Trials

Dr. Susan Kraft of Wake Forest University School of Medicine spoke at a conference in late 2022 on Alzheimer’s disease and the need to maintain the current pace of diabetes drug research. Dr. Kraft says today that she has since received numerous offers from drug companies, and she is currently leading a clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of nasal insulin in combination with another diabetes drug in delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms.

Diabetes drugs may enhance the clinical benefits of amyloid protein control drugs and may even provide permanent stabilization or even recovery for an Alzheimer’s patient. “These are the characteristics of these active substances, as well as insulin. They play a role in brain regeneration and prevent further accumulation of amyloid protein,” Kraft says.

The potential success of clinical trials will mean big financial benefits for investors and companies. Senile dementia affects more than 55 million people worldwide, while the drug market for Alzheimer’s disease is expected to exceed $9.4 billion by 2028 and $6.6 billion for Parkinson’s disease.