Add this common skin condition to the list of ailments that Ozempic may help.
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a lesion-causing inflammatory disease that affects more than 1 in 100 people and is strongly associated with obesity.
Treatments include weight loss, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, surgery, laser therapy and possibly eventually semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy.
In the new study, 30 obese patients with different HS levels were given semaglutide weekly for about eight months.
Participants lost an average of 13 pounds, improved their blood sugar levels, reduced inflammation in the body, and reduced HS recurrences.
On average, the frequency of these episodes increased from once every 8.5 weeks to once every 12 weeks.
The findings were presented at a meeting of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology in Amsterdam this week.
“Our findings suggest that even modest doses of semaglutide may have a significant effect in managing HS,” said lead researcher Daniel Lyons, PhD, of St. Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland.
“The role of this drug in promoting weight loss is well established, but what is particularly exciting is that it may also reduce the frequency of HS relapses, with notable improvements in patients’ quality of life,” Lyons added.
Larger trials are needed to confirm these findings and evaluate the effects of higher doses of semaglutide, he says.
“Ultimately, we hope that our preliminary data will encourage dermatologists to consider weight-loss medications as an adjunct to existing HS treatments and will spur further research in this area aimed at improving outcomes for people living with this challenging condition,” Lyons said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Ozempic in 2017 to treat type 2 diabetes in adults and Wegovy in 2021 as a weight-loss drug for adults.
Since then, researchers have been busy trying to figure out what other ailments Ozempic and similar drugs might treat, including substance abuse and heart disease.
