United States: A recent study indicates that patients who take Ozempic together with other GLP-1 drugs might experience better outcomes in kidney transplants thus preventing organ failure and achieving longer survival times, as reported by HealthDay.
Key Findings: Improved Survival & Reduced Organ Failure Risk
Combined drug effects help type 2 diabetes patients while helping them lose weight, which leads to better prospects for successful kidney transplants, according to researchers.
The study published in The Lancet on March 3 indicated that kidney transplant patients receiving GLP-1 drugs demonstrated a 49% increase in avoiding organ failure, which leads to kidney failure and dialysis return.
The research has shown that patients taking GLP-1 drugs decreased their risk of mortality by 31% throughout the first five years of medication use.
According to lead researcher Dr. Babak Orandi, in a news release, the findings from our study establish GLP-1 agonist drugs as mostly safe and effective treatments for type 2 diabetes in kidney transplant recipients. Dr. Orandi works as a transplant surgeon while maintaining his role as an obesity medicine specialist at NYU Langone Health, based in New York City.
How GLP-1 Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs function by duplicating the hormone GLP-1, which helps regulate blood sugar levels and insulin, lowers appetite and reduces food digestion.
Semaglutide and liraglutide and dulaglutide form the GLP-1 drug group with active market products being Ozempic and Wegovy and Saxenda and Victoza and Trulicity.
Research indicates that both diabetes and obesity contribute to kidney transplant failure rates thus the scientists reported. The logic behind why GLP-1 drugs could be beneficial becomes clear.
Research scientists reported that pancreatitis and liver damage from these medications create risks that counteract a potential patient’s kidney transplant success.
The potential risk of thyroid cancer in transplant recipients who need immune-suppressing drugs stands out as an active concern about GLP-1 drug usage, according to research findings.
A review of medical data for more than 18,000 kidney transplant recipients with diabetes between 2013 and 2020 detected both the risks and benefits of the drugs.
GLP-1 drug prescriptions were given to at least 1,900 individuals in the study cohort.
The research produced beneficial findings but identified specific dangerous effects from taking these medications.
Receiving GLP-1 drugs by kidney transplant patients led to an elevated diabetic retinopathy risk of 49% which represents a potentially blinding condition that affects the light-sensitive tissue lining the eyes’ back.
Senior investigator Mara McAdams-DeMarco explained in a news release how GLP-1 drugs provide substantial benefits although they introduce an increased risk of diabetic retinopathy which requires physicians to closely examine eye health for diabetic kidney transplant recipients on these medications. As an associate professor of surgery and population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine she holds her position.
Doctors Urged to Monitor and Adjust Treatment
According to Orandi the risk can be controlled through diabetic retinopathy tests in transplant patients especially for uncontrolled diabetics along with ensuring stable blood sugar levels prior to prescribing GLP-1 drugs, as reported by HealthDay.
For patients who have severe diabetes or eye complications doctors should start with lower GLP-1 drug doses which they should increase gradually over time according to Dr. Orandi.
Further investigation is required to explain how GLP-1 drugs boost transplant outcomes while causing diabetic retinopathy development according to study conclusions.