Semaglutide, a widely used medication for type 2 diabetes and weight loss, may also provide an unexpected benefit for people with asthma. New research presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Barcelona, Spain, found that use of semaglutide was associated with a reduction in asthma attacks by almost 40%.
The study was led by Professor Chloe Bloom, Clinical Associate Professor of Respiratory Epidemiology at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, UK, and presented by Dr Bohee Lee.
Exploring GLP 1 medications and lung health
Dr Bloom said: “GLP-1 receptor agonists are widely used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. Previous research suggests they may have anti-inflammatory effects and improve lung-related outcomes. However, asthma and COPD outcomes have not been included as outcomes in GLP-1 drug trials.
“We wanted to use real-world medical records to investigate whether people with asthma or COPD who started taking GLP-1 receptor agonists had fewer acute respiratory attacks.”
To investigate that question, researchers analyzed electronic medical records from the United Kingdom. They conducted four parallel studies, each involving between 20,000 and 22,000 people who had started treatment with either a GLP-1 drug or a different type of diabetes drug known as a sulfonylurea.
The results suggested that people with airway diseases such as asthma and COPD who received GLP-1 therapies experienced fewer asthma attacks and COPD exacerbations than comparable patients who were prescribed other diabetes medications.
Semaglutide showed the strongest effect
Among the GLP-1 drugs examined, semaglutide seemed to stand out, especially for people with asthma.
Bloom explains: “The effect was strongest with semaglutide, especially in people with asthma, where semaglutide use appears to be associated with an almost 40% reduction in asthma attacks. Semaglutide also led to a 20% reduction in COPD attacks.”
The findings suggest that people who already qualify to receive GLP-1 receptor agonists because they have obesity or type 2 diabetes could receive an additional benefit for their respiratory health.
However, Bloom emphasized that the results are not enough to recommend these drugs specifically as treatments for asthma or COPD.
She explains: “The findings of this study are encouraging, but should not change treatment decisions on their own. People with asthma or COPD should not start taking GLP-1 receptor agonists specifically for their lung condition outside of current prescribing guidelines. While the findings suggest that some people taking GLP-1 receptor agonists may experience fewer respiratory attacks, this needs confirmation in clinical trials.”
Why metabolic health may be important for the lungs
Dr Alexander Mathioudakis, chair of the Respiratory Pharmacology and Treatment Group of the European Respiratory Society and senior lecturer in Respiratory Medicine at the University of Manchester, UK, was not involved in the research.
He said: “Obesity and metabolic dysfunction are common in airway diseases and are often not recognized as problems that can and should be addressed.
“This is one of the largest real-world studies to investigate GLP-1 receptor agonists and airway diseases, and one of the first to examine whether effects differ between individual GLP-1 receptor agonists.
“It highlights the need to consider metabolic health as part of respiratory care. It also supports the need to include respiratory outcomes, such as asthma attacks and COPD exacerbations, in future trials of metabolic therapies.
“We need clinical trials that include respiratory outcomes, such as asthma attacks, COPD exacerbations, lung function, symptoms and quality of life, to determine whether metabolic treatments could become part of a broader, personalized approach to managing airway diseases.”