The drug named semaglutide prescribed for diabetes and weight loss can significantly reduce the risk of major kidney disease, cardiovascular events and premature death in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease, researchers said on Friday. The researchers, announcing the results of a landmark international clinical trial, said patients who received semaglutide once a week had a 24 per cent reduced risk of worsening kidney disease and premature death from cardiovascular- or kidney-related causes compared with patients who received placebo. “The new results are significant — a 24 per cent risk reduction is huge,” said Ambrish Mithal, chair and head of endocrinology at Max Healthcare hospital in New Delhi who was not associated with the trial. Participants in the trial received a 1.0mg dose of an injected version of semaglutide once a week. The effect of the drug on patients with advanced kidney disease remains unevaluated, he said.

Source: The Telegraph May 25, 2024 13:20 UTC