Effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists on neurological complications of diabetes. Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders Emerging evidence suggests that treatment with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) could be an interesting treatment strategy to reduce neurological complications such as stroke, cognitive impairment, and peripheral neuropathy. We performed a systematic review to examine the evidence concerning the effects of GLP-1 RAs on neurological complications of diabetes. The databases used were Pubmed, Scopus and Cochrane. We selected clinical trials which analysed the effect of GLP-1 RAs on stroke, cognitive impairment, and peripheral neuropathy. We found a total of 19 studies: 8 studies include stroke or major cardiovascular events, 7 involve cognitive impairment and 4 include peripheral neuropathy. Semaglutide subcutaneous and dulaglutide reduced stroke cases. Liraglutide, albiglutide, oral semaglutide and efpeglenatide, were not shown to reduce the number of strokes but did reduce major cardiovascular events. Exenatide, dulaglutide and liraglutide improved general cognition but no significant effect on diabetic peripheral neuropathy has been reported with GLP-1 RAs. GLP-1 RAs are promising drugs that seem to be useful in the reduction of some neurological complications of diabetes. However, more studies are needed. 10.1007/s11154-023-09807-3

Effects of liraglutide in the treatment of obesity: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Astrup Arne,Rössner Stephan,Van Gaal Luc,Rissanen Aila,Niskanen Leo,Al Hakim Mazin,Madsen Jesper,Rasmussen Mads F,Lean Michael E J, Lancet (London, England) BACKGROUND:The frequency of obesity has risen dramatically in recent years but only few safe and effective drugs are currently available. We assessed the effect of liraglutide on bodyweight and tolerability in obese individuals without type 2 diabetes. METHODS:We did a double-blind, placebo-controlled 20-week trial, with open-label orlistat comparator in 19 sites in Europe. 564 individuals (18-65 years of age, body-mass index 30-40 kg/m2) were randomly assigned, with a telephone or web-based system, to one of four liraglutide doses (1.2 mg, 1.8 mg, 2.4 mg, or 3.0 mg, n=90-95) or to placebo (n=98) administered once a day subcutaneously, or orlistat (120 mg, n=95) three times a day orally. All individuals had a 500 kcal per day energy-deficit diet and increased their physical activity throughout the trial, including the 2-week run-in. Weight change analysed by intention to treat was the primary endpoint. An 84-week open-label extension followed. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00422058. FINDINGS:Participants on liraglutide lost significantly more weight than did those on placebo (p=0.003 for liraglutide 1.2 mg and p<0.0001 for liraglutide 1.8-3.0 mg) and orlistat (p=0.003 for liraglutide 2.4 mg and p<0.0001 for liraglutide 3.0 mg). Mean weight loss with liraglutide 1.2-3.0 mg was 4.8 kg, 5.5 kg, 6.3 kg, and 7.2 kg compared with 2.8 kg with placebo and 4.1 kg with orlistat, and was 2.1 kg (95% CI 0.6-3.6) to 4.4 kg (2.9-6.0) greater than that with placebo. More individuals (76%, n=70) lost more than 5% weight with liraglutide 3.0 mg that with placebo (30%, n=29) or orlistat (44%, n=42). Liraglutide reduced blood pressure at all doses, and reduced the prevalence of prediabetes (84-96% reduction) with 1.8-3.0 mg per day. Nausea and vomiting occurred more often in individuals on liraglutide than in those on placebo, but adverse events were mainly transient and rarely led to discontinuation of treatment. INTERPRETATION:Liraglutide treatment over 20 weeks is well tolerated, induces weight loss, improves certain obesity-related risk factors, and reduces prediabetes. FUNDING:Novo Nordisk A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark. 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61375-1

GLP-1 receptor agonists in the treatment of type 2 diabetes - state-of-the-art. Molecular metabolism BACKGROUND:GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) with exenatide b.i.d. first approved to treat type 2 diabetes in 2005 have been further developed to yield effective compounds/preparations that have overcome the original problem of rapid elimination (short half-life), initially necessitating short intervals between injections (twice daily for exenatide b.i.d.). SCOPE OF REVIEW:To summarize current knowledge about GLP-1 receptor agonist. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS:At present, GLP-1 RAs are injected twice daily (exenatide b.i.d.), once daily (lixisenatide and liraglutide), or once weekly (exenatide once weekly, dulaglutide, albiglutide, and semaglutide). A daily oral preparation of semaglutide, which has demonstrated clinical effectiveness close to the once-weekly subcutaneous preparation, was recently approved. All GLP-1 RAs share common mechanisms of action: augmentation of hyperglycemia-induced insulin secretion, suppression of glucagon secretion at hyper- or euglycemia, deceleration of gastric emptying preventing large post-meal glycemic increments, and a reduction in calorie intake and body weight. Short-acting agents (exenatide b.i.d., lixisenatide) have reduced effectiveness on overnight and fasting plasma glucose, but maintain their effect on gastric emptying during long-term treatment. Long-acting GLP-1 RAs (liraglutide, once-weekly exenatide, dulaglutide, albiglutide, and semaglutide) have more profound effects on overnight and fasting plasma glucose and HbA, both on a background of oral glucose-lowering agents and in combination with basal insulin. Effects on gastric emptying decrease over time (tachyphylaxis). Given a similar, if not superior, effectiveness for HbA reduction with additional weight reduction and no intrinsic risk of hypoglycemic episodes, GLP-1RAs are recommended as the preferred first injectable glucose-lowering therapy for type 2 diabetes, even before insulin treatment. However, GLP-1 RAs can be combined with (basal) insulin in either free- or fixed-dose preparations. More recently developed agents, in particular semaglutide, are characterized by greater efficacy with respect to lowering plasma glucose as well as body weight. Since 2016, several cardiovascular (CV) outcome studies have shown that GLP-1 RAs can effectively prevent CV events such as acute myocardial infarction or stroke and associated mortality. Therefore, guidelines particularly recommend treatment with GLP-1 RAs in patients with pre-existing atherosclerotic vascular disease (for example, previous CV events). The evidence of similar effects in lower-risk subjects is not quite as strong. Since sodium/glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor treatment reduces CV events as well (with the effect mainly driven by a reduction in heart failure complications), the individual risk of ischemic or heart failure complications should guide the choice of treatment. GLP-1 RAs may also help prevent renal complications of type 2 diabetes. Other active research areas in the field of GLP-1 RAs are the definition of subgroups within the type 2 diabetes population who particularly benefit from treatment with GLP-1 RAs. These include pharmacogenomic approaches and the characterization of non-responders. Novel indications for GLP-1 RAs outside type 2 diabetes, such as type 1 diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and psoriasis, are being explored. Thus, within 15 years of their initial introduction, GLP-1 RAs have become a well-established class of glucose-lowering agents that has the potential for further development and growing impact for treating type 2 diabetes and potentially other diseases. 10.1016/j.molmet.2020.101102