Cristóbal Morales
Head of the Metabolic Health, Diabetes and Obesity Unit at Vithas Hospital in Seville and member of the Spanish Society for the Study of Obesity (SEEDO)
Here, the news would be that the primary objective—the beneficial effect—was not achieved, unlike what has been seen with semaglutide in other indications. The key point is the lack of positive results, which does not invalidate the hypothesis. We still believe that neuroinflammation—that chronic, low-grade inflammation—may play a role in diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Experimental data had seemed to point in that direction.
This hypothesis is what led to the launch of this clinical trial, in which no benefit has been demonstrated. The study involved a population with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, but with a low proportion of diabetes and obesity. We need to continue researching this highly prevalent disease.
Science is built through errors, and negative results are also valuable. Perhaps we should assess whether, in people with diabetes, high cardiovascular risk, and chronic low-grade inflammation, this type of treatment might have some benefit.
In summary, this is simply one result—one piece of data—that should encourage continued research into the neuroinflammation hypothesis, to explore potential solutions that could benefit the many people affected by this disease.