Study: Weight Loss Drugs Drastically Cut Cancer Risk

Facts

• According to a study of 34K patients presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference, semaglutide, an active ingredient in weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, can cut the risk of developing cancer by a fifth.¹
• The study found that taking weight loss drugs can reduce the risk of developing 13 obesity-related cancers, including breast and liver cancer, by 19% and cut the risk of mortality over 15 years by 50%.²
• The findings suggest that the drugs — known as GLP-1 agonists — that are used in the treatment of obesity and diabetes could delay and prevent malignant tumor growth.³
• Weight loss drugs such as Wegovy have recently been approved for reducing the risk of heart attacks, strokes, or deaths due to cardiovascular health.⁴
• Previously, a study from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center had found that semaglutide could help breast cancer patients who stop their hormone treatments due to weight gain lose extra pounds.³

Sources: ¹The Telegraph, ²Guardian, ³The Times and ⁴Taipei Times.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by New York Times. The more we examine GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic, the more promise they hold for treating all sorts of ailments. The benefits this drug could provide may be a sea-change in how we treat disease and improve understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the human body itself. Study after study continues to prove the safety and efficacy of this cheap and abundant drug.
• Narrative B, as provided by Washington Post. Sadly, there is no such thing as a panacea, and we ought to be suspicious of any 'cure-all' claims behind a drug poised to make a small group of companies very rich. Lingering financial and scientific questions must be answered, which will take time and money. Diseases like obesity and cancer are complex, multivariate conditions we still do not fully understand.

Predictions