A recent study conducted by the Penn State College of Medicine revealed that taking glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists six months before COVID-19 infection decreases the risk of a severe case. These medications are already prescribed for type 2 diabetes and obesity and are now being evaluated for their protective effects against the respiratory virus. The study was published in Diabetes, which can be found here.
GLP-1R Agonists and COVID-19
Using TriNetX, the Penn State research team went through the electronic medical records of nearly 30,000 people who had been diagnosed with both type 2 diabetes and COVID-19 between January and September of 2020. All of these cases were being treated with GLP-1R agonists, so the researchers also included over 23,000 patients who met the same criteria but were not taking those medications.
After analyzing the data, the team discovered that those being treated with these agonists six months before their COVID-19 diagnosis faced less risk of respiratory complications, hospitalization, and death. Results include:
- Risk of respiratory complications dropped by 38.4%
- Risk of hospitalization dropped by 33.0%
- Risk of death dropped by 42.1%
GLP-1R agonists were not the only drugs evaluated in this study; researchers also investigated pioglitazone and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors. While the former was shown to lower the risk of hospitalization, and the latter proved to decrease the risk of respiratory complications, neither showed results as positive as GLP-1R agonists.
Now, researchers need to further investigate the relationship between these medications and COVID-19. Randomized clinical trials should be used to better understand the protective effects.
Looking Forward
While these results may give us a better way to protect people, especially those living with a higher risk of severe disease due to conditions like diabetes, it’s important to realize that the best protection is still getting vaccinated. Vaccines are known to lower the risk of hospitalization and death, so take the best steps to protect yourself and those around you!
Find the source article here.
