New Study Finds Diabetes Drug Ozempic May Prevent Cognitive Decline and Substance Misuse

Novo Nordisk is studying semaglutide in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Ozempic use was associated with a lower risk for cognitive problems and nicotine dependence in over 20,000 patient records.
Patients taking Ozempic for a year had a 48% lower risk of dementia compared to those on sitagliptin or glipizide.
University of Oxford researchers found that Ozempic (semaglutide) may prevent cognitive decline and substance misuse.
New Study Finds Diabetes Drug Ozempic May Prevent Cognitive Decline and Substance Misuse

In a series of studies conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford, it was found that Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic (semaglutide) may offer unexpected benefits in the prevention and treatment of cognitive decline and substance misuse. The findings suggest that semaglutide use could extend beyond managing diabetes.

The first study, published on July 12, 2024, revealed that patients taking Ozempic for a year had a 48% lower risk of dementia compared to those taking sitagliptin or glipizide. Additionally, patients on Ozempic also had a lower risk of cognitive deficits compared to those on the other two diabetes medications.

A second study, published the same day by The Hill, reported that semaglutide use was associated with a lower risk for cognitive problems and nicotine dependence. This study analyzed more than 100,000 U.S. patient records and included over 20,000 users of semaglutide.

Novo Nordisk is officially studying semaglutide in patients with Alzheimer's disease, with initial results expected in late 2025.

The researchers emphasized that further investigation is necessary to explore what properties of semaglutide led to these trends. They also encouraged replication studies to confirm their findings.

Despite the observational nature of the studies, Novo Nordisk's stock rose in response to the news, with shares jumping nearly 1.6% on July 12, 2024.



Confidence

90%

Doubts
  • Replication studies are encouraged to confirm the findings.
  • The studies were observational in nature and further investigation is necessary to explore what properties of semaglutide led to these trends.

Sources

100%

  • Unique Points
    • Ozempic is associated with a lower risk for cognitive problems.
    • Ozempic is associated with a lower risk for nicotine dependence.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

100%

  • Unique Points
    • University of Oxford studied the effects of Novo Nordisk A/S’s Ozempic on dementia and cognitive deficits.
    • Patients taking Ozempic for a year had a 48% lower risk of dementia compared to those taking sitagliptin.
    • Patients on Ozempic also had a lower risk of cognitive deficits compared to those on sitagliptin or glipizide.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

  • Unique Points
    • Novo Nordisk stock rose after a study from the University of Oxford showed semaglutide, its diabetes and weight-loss drug, could lower the risk of developing dementia by 48% compared to older diabetes medications.
    • Patients who received semaglutide had a lower risk of developing encephalitis.
    • Semaglutide also cut down on patients’ substance abuse problems according to the report published in The Lancet medical journal.
    • Novo Nordisk is officially studying semaglutide in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Initial results are expected in late 2025.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

  • Unique Points
    • Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide can reduce the risk of dementia by 48% compared to Merck’s Januvia (sitagliptin) according to a study from the University of Oxford.
    • Novo Nordisk is conducting two phase 3 studies investigating semaglutide in 1800 patients with early Alzheimer’s disease, expecting results to read out in 2026.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The article reports on a study that compares the risk of dementia between Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Merck's Januvia using electronic health records from over 100,000 patients. The author does not commit any formal or informal fallacies in their reporting of the study results. However, they do make some statements that could be considered inflammatory rhetoric when they describe Ozempic as producing a '48% decline in dementia' and a '28% reduction in
    • ]nicotine misuse[
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication