Ozempic, Wegovy may help reduce risk of kidney disease

To better understand the effect of semaglutide on heart disease, researchers evaluated health data from a previous randomized trial conducted over three and a half years in 17,604 people who were overweight or obese and had heart disease.

The researchers followed people who experienced kidney-related events, such as a significant decline in kidney function, initiation of chronic renal replacement therapy, development of persistent macroalbuminuria, or death.

The research team found that 22% fewer people in the group of 8,803 who received weekly injections of semagtide (2.4 mg) experienced kidney-related events compared with a placebo.

In addition, semaglutide appears to help the kidneys filter blood.

People who took the drug had less of a decline in glomerular filtration rate, a measure of the kidneys' filtering ability.

Patients taking semaglutide also saw a significant reduction in their urinary albumin to creatinine ratio, a test that measures albumin in the urine. MacroalbuminuriaThis is a condition in which more than 300 milligrams of protein leave the body through urine each day.

Benefits were observed even in people with normal renal function at baseline.

“They found that it had a modest beneficial effect on kidney function even in people without kidney disease, and a larger beneficial effect in slowing the rate of kidney function decline in people with kidney disease,” they explain. Shuchi Anand, MD, M.S.Associate Professor of Medicine (Nephrology) at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Ortiz-Pujols wasn't surprised by the positive effect semaglutide had on kidney function.

“I suspected these findings would be true based on what I had seen in my patients, but now I have the research to back it up,” she said.

By reducing the burden on the kidneys, it could potentially help people live longer, Anand said.

“By losing even a modest amount of weight – people in the semaglutide group in this study lost about 9% of their body weight over two years – you reduce the filtering load on the kidneys,” she said.

Moreover, improving glucose metabolism may have a positive effect on the kidneys, Anand added.

The drug may also reduce inflammation in the body, Ortiz Pujols added.

Further studies are needed to better understand the direct and indirect effects of semaglutide on kidney function.

Additionally, there may be side effects that are important to consider before using semaglutide for additional kidney benefits, for example.

“Answers to these questions may guide obesity treatment, but learning more about the beneficial effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide may also inform future areas of research,” Ortiz-Pujols said.

Being overweight puts you at higher risk of diabetes and high blood pressure, two conditions known to worsen kidney function.

These results indicate that semaglutide may minimise these risk factors and thereby prevent kidney disease in overweight or obese people.

“The results of this study suggest that there may be a way to not only slow the decline in kidney function after kidney disease has already developed, but actually prevent kidney disease,” Anand said.

According to Anand, it is not easy to convince people who do not have kidney problems or diabetes to take the medication for life.

“The nice thing about this class of drug is that it has the added benefit of kidney protection, and there's already evidence that it can help with weight loss and cardiovascular health, so there are multiple reasons why doctors might consider this,” Anand said.

A new study has found that semaglutide, a drug commonly used to treat diabetes and obesity, may help protect kidney function in people who are overweight and have cardiovascular disease. Medical experts say the results indicate that semaglutide could be an effective therapeutic option for treating co-morbidities and ultimately improve people's quality of life.