Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide trials fail to slow Alzheimer’s, sending shares lower. Researchers continue to explore GLP‑1 drugs for dementia treatment.

Two major clinical trials evaluating the potential of the weight-loss drug semaglutide to treat Alzheimer’s disease have concluded without showing the desired clinical benefit. The manufacturer, Novo Nordisk,

A massive real-world study comparing tirzepatide and semaglutide reveals both drugs deliver strong, early cardiovascular protection—reducing heart attack, stroke, and death in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Despite encouraging biomarker shifts, oral semaglutide failed to slow cognitive decline in early Alzheimer’s, leading to an early end of the trial extension.

But perhaps the larger story associated with the unsurprising result is the market reaction, as Novo's shares fell by nearly 9% at the U.S. market open Monday.

Today, Novo Nordisk released topline results from their phase 3 Evoke and Evoke+ trials of semaglutide, an oral GLP-1 drug, in individuals with early-stage Alzheimer's disease, showing the trials did not meet their primary endpoints.

WASHINGTON -- Semaglutide (Wegovy) improved liver inflammation and fibrosis in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) through both weight loss-related and direct biological effects, according to a post-hoc analysis of the phase III ESSENCE trial.

Oral semaglutide 25 mg was associated with improved glycemic parameters and cardiovascular risk across weight loss categories.

Both semaglutide and tirzepatide are associated with improvements in quality of life for adults with obesity, though tirzepatide outperformed semaglutide for adults with limited physical function, study data revealed.

Scientists have failed to show that weight-loss wonder drug semaglutide slows the progress of Alzheimer's disease (AD), as two-year clinical trials end in disappointment for patients, medical scientists and drugmaker Novo Nordisk.