Could Ozempic Benefit Diabetic Retinopathy?

Credit: Unsplash / Harry Quan

Semaglutide (Ozempic) may significantly lower the likelihood of diabetic retinopathy outcomes, including diabetic macular edema (DME) and the need for intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections to treat the most common forms of vision loss, according to new data.

Research has not yet defined a clear association between Ozempic use and diabetic retinopathy outcomes. Some studies demonstrate worsening condition for patients taking the drug, while other long-term data have reported no notable overall association.

For this analysis, investigators evaluated the large, multi-center TriNetX database to assess a possible link between Ozempic and diabetic retinopathy outcomes in a diverse patient population with a long follow-up period.

All patients diagnosed with all severities of retinopathy were identified using relevant ICD-10 codes and divided into two cohorts: those prescribed Ozempic after a retinopathy diagnosis and those not on Ozempic. Those with co-morbid retinal diseases, including prior rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, retinal degeneration, and chorioretinal inflammation, were excluded from both cohorts.

Cohorts were matched based on age, sex, and systemic comorbidities. Analysis outcomes included the incidence of DME, the need for intravitreal anti-VEGF injections, vitreous hemorrhage, PPV, and PRP. Each outcome was evaluated using odds ratio (OR) at intervals of one year, five years, and the lifetime between the two cohorts.

Overall, 57,680 patients were included in the study, including 28,840 patients in each cohort. Upon analysis, patients treated with semaglutide had significantly lower odds of all outcomes in the analysis.

Patients treated with Ozempic had significantly lower odds of DME at one year , five years and lifetime. Those treated with Ozempic also exhibited a reduced need for intravitreal anti-VEGF injections at one year, five years, and lifetime.

Rates of vitreous hemorrhage were lower in Ozempic-treated patients at one year, five years, and lifetime. The need for PPV was also reduced in those treated with semaglutide at one year, five years, and lifetime.

PRP procedure rates were also lessened in Ozempic-treated patients at one year, five years and lifetime.

In their conclusion, Yadav and colleagues indicated these data provide more evidence to support the safety of semaglutide in patients with retinopathy for glycemic control, but noted the limitations of these findings.

“Limitations include the retrospective and observational design,” they added. “Rates of disease and outcomes are also dependent on accurate ICD-10 and CPT coding.”

An original version of this article was published on sister site HCPLive.