WEDNESDAY, Feb. 5, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Hopes that GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy could help slow Parkinson's disease have taken an hit. A new study found that a drug in the same class called exenatide, marketed as Byetta, had no effect on slowing the disease or easing its symtoms.

A drug for treating diabetes similar to popular weight-loss medicines such as Ozempic did not show any benefits for people with Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study. Researchers conducted a double-blind,

The study may suggest that other researchers should be less optimistic about the prospects for treating a range of other conditions with newer weight-loss drugs.

Semaglutide, the drug used in Ozempic, has been linked to lowering the risk of Alzheimer's disease in the past. So, it was natural for the scientists to be hopeful when they tested the possibility of an Ozempic-like drug to improve Parkinson's disease symptoms,

The GLP-1 receptor agonist exenatide failed to meet its primary outcome in a phase III trial of Parkinson's disease patients. Weekly injections of the GLP-1 receptor agonist exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon) did not slow Parkinson's disease progression or improve symptoms, the phase III Exenatide-PD3 trial showed.

The GLP-1 drug, exenatide, has no positive impact on the movement, symptoms or brain imaging of people with Parkinson's, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.