GLP-1 Drugs Cut Risk of Alzheimer's, NVO & LLY Shares Rise

The stock price of the two most prominent players in the diabetes and obesity care market, Novo Nordisk NVO and Eli Lilly LLY, rose 3% and 2.3% on Tuesday, respectively, after results from a study showed that GLP-1 drugs cut the risk of several heart conditions, kidney diseases and brain ailments.New evidence regarding the additional benefits (besides weight loss) and risks of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists from a large study in nearly two million diabetes patients was published in Nature Medicine on Jan. 20, 2025. Data from the study, conducted over roughly 3.5 years, suggest that GLP-1 drugs compared to other diabetes medications were associated with a reduced risk of numerous conditions, including heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. They decreased the risk of psychotic disorders by 18%, Alzheimer’s disease by 12% and addiction disorders by an average of 13%.Novo Nordisk markets its blockbuster semaglutide (GLP-1) medicines as Ozempic pre-filled pens and Rybelsus oral tablets for type II diabetes (T2D) and Wegovy injections for weight management. NVO’s arch-rival, Lilly, markets tirzepatide, a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, as Mounjaro for T2D and Zepbound for obesity.In the past three months, shares of Novo Nordisk and Lilly have plunged 30% and 17.8%, respectively, compared with the industry’s 16.4% decline.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchThe data from the study corroborates the results from an exploratory one-year study of semaglutide conducted by the University of Oxford, announced in July 2024. Data from the study showed that semaglutide was associated with benefits like lowering the risk of cognitive problems and nicotine misuse. The study found that the drug was not associated with a risk of adverse neuropsychiatric outcomes compared with other antidiabetic medications. However, the study results published in Nature Medicine suggest that GLP-1 drugs are associated with increasing the risk of developing arthritis and pancreatitis.Label Expansion Efforts for Wegovy and ZepboundNovo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Lilly’s Zepbound have both seen strong sales since launch due to tremendous demand in the market for weight-loss drugs. However, supply issues and strict regulations for insurance coverage have resulted in a slowdown in the sales growth of these drugs in recent quarters.NVO and LLY have been working on expanding the labels of their respective obesity medicines for several indications like cardiovascular risk reduction, sleep apnea or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) among others to ensure insurance coverage under Medicare and better patient access.Wegovy is already approved in the United States and EU to reduce the risks of major adverse cardiovascular events, including cardiovascular death, non-fatal heart attack or stroke in adults with either overweight or obesity and established cardiovascular disease. The company is also looking to expand Wegovy’s indication to patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).Last month, the FDA approved a second indication for Lilly’s Zepbound for treating moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults with obesity. With the approval, Zepbound became the first and only prescription drug approved for treating adults with moderate-to-severe OSA and obesity. Lilly has also filed regulatory applications in the United States and EU to seek approval for tirzepatide for heart failure with HFpEF. A phase III cardiovascular outcome study is also ongoing. A phase II study in MASH met its primary endpoint in 2024.Approval for such additional indications will further boost sales of these drugs in the long term.Competition Heating Up in the Obesity MarketSeveral companies like Amgen AMGN and Viking Therapeutics VKTX are making rapid progress in the development of novel GLP-1-based candidates for obesity in their clinical pipeline.In November 2024, Amgen announced 52-week top-line data from a phase II study on MariTide, its GIPR/GLP-1 receptor for obesity for obesity. The data showed that MariTide led to approximately 20% average weight loss over 52 weeks without reaching a weight loss plateau. Amgen began a phase II study on the candidate for T2D in the third quarter.Amgen plans to conduct a broad phase III program on MariTide across obesity, obesity-related conditions and T2D. AMGN and VKTX’s products can pose strong competition to Mounjaro/Zepbound and Ozempic/Wegovy in the future.NVO & LLY’s Zacks RanksNovo Nordisk carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), while Eli Lilly has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at present.You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is among the most innovative financial firms. With a fast-growing customer base (already 50+ million) and a diverse set of cutting edge solutions, this stock is poised for big gains. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO): Free Stock Analysis Report Eli Lilly and Company (LLY): Free Stock Analysis Report Amgen Inc. (AMGN): Free Stock Analysis Report Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (VKTX): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks