Ozempic reduces risk of serious illness and death in people with diabetes and kidney disease, study finds

Weekly injections of semaglutide medications like Ozempic significantly reduce the risk of serious kidney outcomes, major cardiovascular events and death among people who have type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, according to a new study.

Weekly injections of semaglutide medications like Ozempic significantly reduce the risk of serious kidney outcomes, major cardiovascular events and death among people who have type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, according to a new study. Diabetes is a key risk factor for kidney disease, which is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and worldwide; about 1 in 3 people with diabetes also has chronic kidney disease, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But new research shows that weekly injections of semaglutide cut the risk of severe outcomes from diabetic kidney disease by about 24%. These severe outcomes – including significant loss of kidney function, kidney failure and death from kidney or cardiovascular causes – occurred 331 times among trial participants who were treated with semaglutide, compared with 410 events among those who received the placebo. When scaled by the number of years each person was in the trial, there were 5.8 events for every 100 years of follow-up among those taking semaglutide, compared with 7.5 events for every 100 years of follow-up among those who received the placebo. High sugar levels in the blood of people with diabetes can damage the blood vessels of the kidneys, and this can also cause strain on the heart. The new study found even broader related benefits of semaglutide treatment among people with diabetic kidney disease. Kidney function declined more slowly overall, the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack was 18% lower and the risk of death from any cause was 20% lower among people who were treated with semaglutide compared with those who received the placebo, the research found.