Thousands expected to take Ozempic to fight cancer - studies show injections could reduce risk of deadly disease
Tens of thousands of patients in the UK will be included in a landmark clinical trial that will test the effect of revolutionary weight loss injections on cancer prevention.
The announcement comes as new research suggests that drugs such as Wegovy, Mounjaro and Ozempic significantly reduce the risk of contracting the disease.
Israeli scientists said these drugs, known as GLP-1, could be up to 41 percent more effective at preventing obesity-related cancers than weight loss alone – and could even help against other types of cancer.
Now, British scientists plan to launch a clinical trial with tens of thousands of patients to see if these injections could serve as a "new weapon" in the fight against the alarming rise in cancer cases.
They can be prescribed in the early stages, long before cancer symptoms appear – much like statins taken to prevent heart disease or stroke.
The team from the University of Manchester hopes to launch this research project within the next 3 to 5 years.
Dr. Matthew Harris, from the Manchester Cancer Research Centre, said the aim is to use these drugs to stop the growth of cancer cases.
"We are facing a huge increase in obesity-related cancers. If we can reverse obesity and prevent these cancers, it would be a major public health intervention," he told The Telegraph, reports GazetaExpress.
"These new drugs offer remarkable weight loss and could become a population-scale solution."
Researcher Yael Wolff Sagy, from Tel Aviv, said of the new study:
"This is very promising news for patients who are at high risk for obesity-related cancer, and even for some other types of cancer."
"When we compared patients who had surgery with those who used weight loss medications, we found that the risk was just as low, although those who had surgery lost more weight."
"When we took into account the difference in weight loss, we found that the injections were 41 percent more effective in preventing cancer."
"This suggests that there is an additional mechanism beyond simple weight loss."
"We believe this effect may come from the anti-inflammatory properties of GLP-1s, but this type of study cannot prove with certainty that this is the cause."
Professor Mark Lawler, from the University of Belfast, said the study was observational and should be treated with caution, but added that weight loss injections could be "transformative" in cancer prevention.
The new study was published in the journal eClinicalMedicine and presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga.
Another study at the same event reported that weight loss injections may also help mental health.
Swiss experts, who analyzed data from 26,000 patients, found that the injections had positive effects on problems such as depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Researchers from the University of Bern suggested that the anti-inflammatory properties of the drugs could improve brain health.
At least half a million patients on the NHS and around 15 million in the US are thought to be using weight loss injections, which can help people lose up to 20 per cent of their body weight in a few months.
They are also linked to a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke.
However, reported problems include constipation, fatigue, headaches, dizziness and even hair loss.
According to official guidelines, only patients with a BMI over 35 and at least one weight-related health problem, or those with a BMI between 30 and 34.9 who qualify for a specialist referral, should receive these weight-loss injections. /Express newspaper/
edition
t7 live
