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Type 2 diabetes patients taking Ozempic are reported to be at a lower risk for 10 obesity-related cancers compared to those taking insulin, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open on Friday (July 5).
The study measured how the two medications, as well as metformin, affected 1.65 million patients between March 2005 and November 2018 and found that patients who took the appetite-suppressing hormone GLP-1, an active ingredient in Ozempic, reduced their risk for esophageal, colorectal, kidney, pancreatic, gallbladder, ovarian, endometrial and liver cancers, as well as meningioma and multiple myeloma, compared to insulin patients. GLP-1 drugs did not, however, reduce patients' odds of postmenopausal breast cancer or thyroid cancer in compared to those who used insulin and the reduced risk for stomach cancer wasn't significant, the study stated.
Ozempic's safety information warns of potential thyroid tumors and worsening kidney problems to patients who have already experienced such issues. The drug is also reported to have other concerning visible side effects, which includes 'Ozempic face' resulting in facial skin sags from drastic weight loss.
Ozempic first hit the market in December 2017 and has since become one of the top 130 most commonly prescribed medications in the United States for patients with diabetes, though many without diabetes have used it as a meal suppressant for weight loss.