Three new studies presented at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery’s 22nd Annual Meeting suggest that medications like Ozempic, known as GLP-1 inhibitors, may lower the risk of stroke and help patients recover better after one.
These drugs are already used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, as they lower blood sugar and often cause weight loss.
In the first study, researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison looked at stroke outcomes in people taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic.
They used data from two sources: a global health database of more than 2 million stroke patients, and the university’s own records.
Both sets of data showed that people who were taking Ozempic at the time of their stroke were more likely to survive.
In the global database, only about 5% of Ozempic users died from stroke, compared to over 21% of non-users.
Long-term survival was also better—over 77% of Ozempic users survived long term, versus only 31% of non-users. Similar results were seen in the university’s own patient data.
In the second study, the same university team analyzed emergency room records from across the U.S. They looked at patients who had strokes and were likely using Ozempic. Again, they found that people on Ozempic had a lower chance of having a stroke.
The researchers now want to take a closer look at pharmacy records to better understand the connection between Ozempic use and stroke prevention.
The third study came from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. It asked whether GLP-1 inhibitors could help people who had suffered brain bleeds (such as hemorrhagic strokes or aneurysm ruptures).
By analyzing patient records up to two years after stroke or brain hemorrhage, the researchers found that those who used GLP-1 inhibitors were less likely to have long-term issues like memory problems, seizures, future brain bleeds, or even death.
According to Dr. Ahmed Elbayomy, lead author of the first two studies, these early results are encouraging. “More research is certainly needed, but seeing the potential protection offered by these medications is a fascinating finding,” he said.
Dr. Matias Costa, a researcher on the third study, agreed. “This research could introduce a new perspective to the discussion of preventing and reducing the devastating effects of stroke and related brain injuries.”
While these studies don’t prove cause and effect, they suggest that GLP-1 medications like Ozempic could do more than help manage diabetes—they might also protect the brain. More clinical trials will be needed to confirm these findings and explore the potential of using GLP-1 drugs in stroke prevention and treatment.
If you care about stroke, please read research about Thanks to his wife’s quick reaction, postal worker fully recovered from a stroke and findings of new hope for people with irregular heartbeat to prevent stroke.
For more about stroke, please read research about Stronger high blood pressure treatment may help prevent stroke in older people and findings of Stroke death risk increases again after falling for 40 years.
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