Diabetes Weight Loss Drugs Could be Linked to Reduced Risk of MS, Study Finds

It is known that obesity induces systemic and local inflammation, and studies have shown that obesity in early childhood or adolescence increases the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), an inflammatory disease of the brain and spinal cord.

Furthermore, obesity in newly diagnosed MS patients has been associated with more severe disease, worse outcomes, and diminished response to disease-modifying therapies.

Drug repurposing has recently emerged as an attractive pathway for developing new treatments due to its relatively fast and cost-efficient trajectory. Because obesity and MS share inflammatory properties, researchers from neurology departments in Nebraska, Missouri, and Texas used data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) to investigate the association between weight loss-inducing drugs and MS. They published their results in Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders earlier this month.

The trio of investigators, led by Afsaneh Shirani, M.D., from the department of neurological sciences at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, conducted a disproportionality analysis of records from the FAERS database between the fourth quarter of 2003 and the second quarter of 2023.

A disproportionality analysis detects significant associations between drugs and adverse events. However, the FAERS can also provide information on inverse associations that may serve to identify potential drug repurposing avenues.

Shirani and the team analyzed anti-diabetic and non-diabetic drugs with weight loss-inducing effects. Anti-diabetic medications included the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists semaglutide (marketed as Ozempic and Rybelsus for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss), tirzepatide (sold as Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for weight loss), Trulicity (dulaglutide), and liraglutide (available as Saxenda and Victoza); the sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors Jardiance (empagliflozin), Invokana (canagliflozin), and Farxiga (dapagliflozin); and the biguanide metformin.

Other weight loss-inducing drugs analyzed included amphetamine, bupropion, naltrexone, orlistat, phentermine, topiramate, and zonisamide.

Study results demonstrated a reduced risk of MS associated with the anti-diabetic drugs semaglutide, dulaglutide, liraglutide, empagliflozin, and metformin. Of the remaining non-diabetic drugs, only naltrexone was associated with a decreased risk of MS.

The researchers observed that several GLP-1 receptor agonists were associated with a reduced risk of MS in this study. They noted that although these drugs were originally designed to help manage blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes, they are now being examined for their potential neuroprotective effects and ability to improve the blood-brain barrier integrity and promote neuronal growth.

With this in mind, Shirani and her colleagues concluded, “Overall, this study hints at the possibility of considering anti-diabetic drugs with weight loss-inducing effects, especially GLP-1 receptor agonists, for potential repurposing opportunities in MS.”