In a new study from Penn State College of Medicine, researchers found a type of drug already used to treat obesity and Type 2 diabetes, when taken six months prior to the diagnosis of COVID-19, was linked to a lower risk of severe disease and death.
They analyzed electronic medical records of patients with type 2 diabetes and concluded that the drugs, called glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists, should be further evaluated for potential protective effects against COVID-19 complications.
Patients living with pre-existing conditions like diabetes are at increased risk of severe COVID-19 complications, including death.
A recent study from England reported that close to a third of COVID-19-related deaths in the country were among patients living with Type 2 diabetes.
In previous research, the team tested how GLP-1R agonists could be used to treat substance use disorders.
They hypothesized that patients with Type 2 diabetes who are taking these same medications, which they estimate to be less than 15% of Type 2 diabetes patients in the U.S., might have some level of protection from severe COVID-19 outcomes based on their anti-inflammatory properties.
Patients with Type 2 diabetes often struggle with dysregulated inflammation, or swelling of body tissues. Overactive inflammatory responses have been implicated in severe COVID-19 cases and deaths.
In this study, the researchers analyzed electronic medical records of nearly 30,000 people with a positive laboratory test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
They found patients who were taking GLP-1R agonists and/or other diabetes medications within six months prior to their COVID-19 diagnosis had a 33.0% decreased risk of hospitalization, a 38.4% decreased risk of respiratory complications and a 42.1% decreased risk of death.
Because of these promising findings, the team said more clinical trials are needed to determine if the link between use of GLP-1R agonists and reduced risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes are due to a cause-and-effect relationship.
There are also questions about the timing of administration of GLP-1R agonists in relation to its supposed protective effects and whether the protective effects could be applied to patients without Type 2 diabetes.
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The study is published in the journal Diabetes. One author of the study is Patricia “Sue” Grigson.
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