Once-weekly semaglutide can help individuals with schizophrenia lose weight and lower their blood glucose levels without adversely affecting their mental health, according to clinical trial findings published today in JAMA Psychiatry.
Ashok A. Ganeshalingam, M.D., of Odense University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues recruited 154 adults (ages 18 to 60, 57% female) diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizotypal disorder, or schizoaffective disorder; all participants also had prediabetes and a BMI of 27 or higher. Participants were randomized to receive 30 weeks of semaglutide (Ozempic), up to 1 mg/week, or placebo alongside their existing medications. (Note: This trial was supported by private foundations in Denmark, including the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Novo Nordisk is the manufacturer of Ozempic.)
At the end of the trial, patients who took semaglutide lost an average of 9 kg (20 pounds), whereas those on placebo remained at their baseline weight. The patients on semaglutide also showed significant improvements in their metabolic profiles—81% reduced their HbA1c value below 5.7% (the cutoff for prediabetes) compared with 19% of patients in the placebo group.
Behaviorally, there were no significant differences in positive or negative symptom scores between the groups after 30 weeks, nor any differences in their mental health–related quality of life. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or constipation were more frequent in the semaglutide group, though serious adverse events—most commonly an exacerbation of psychiatric symptoms—were similar between groups.
Given the observed benefits, “semaglutide should be considered for patients with [schizophrenia], prediabetes, and a BMI of 27 or higher, as the potential for weight loss and prevention of [type 2 diabetes] may justify the economic cost of treatment,” Ganeshalingam and colleagues concluded.
For related information, see the Psychiatric News article “Obesity Expert Advises on Helping Psychiatric Patients Manage Obesity.”
(Image: Getty Images/iStock/aprott)
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