GLUCAGON-LIKE PEPTIDE-1 RECEPTOR AGONISTS AND RISK OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE IN PATIENTS WITH OBESITY

Author(s)

Pareeta Kotecha1, Yao An Lee, MS2, Michael F Presti, MD, PhD3, Yi Guo, PhD3, Jiang Bian, PhD4, Jingchuan Guo, MD, PhD5;
1Gainesville, FL, USA, 2Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA, 3University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA, 4Indiana University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA, 5Purdue University College of Pharmacy, Indianapolis, IN, USA
OBJECTIVES: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) demonstrate neuroprotective effects in preclinical models of Parkinson disease (PD), but evidence regarding their association with incident PD in populations without type 2 diabetes (T2D) is limited. We evaluated whether GLP-1RA use was associated with the risk of incident PD among adults with overweight or obesity without T2D.
METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used the OneFlorida+ electronic health records data from January 1, 2014, through January 31, 2024. Adults ≥50 years who were eligible for anti-obesity medications based on having a recorded diagnosis of obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) or overweight (BMI of 27-29.9 kg/m²) with at least one weight-related comorbidity were included. Individuals with baseline PD, parkinsonism, related neurodegenerative disorders, or T2D were excluded. New users of GLP-1RAs compared with non-users, matched using 1:1 time-conditional propensity scores. The primary outcome was incident PD. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
RESULTS: A total of 11,683 GLP-1 RA users were matched with 11,683 non-users. GLP-1RA use was not significantly associated with the risk of PD in the overall cohort (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.41-1.22). In subgroup analyses, GLP-1RA use was associated with a lower risk of PD among females (HR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.21-0.97) but not among males (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.47-2.39). No significant differences were observed across subgroups by age, race/ethnicity, or GLP-1RA class.
CONCLUSIONS: In this real-world cohort of adults with overweight or obesity without T2D, GLP-1RA use was not associated with a reduced risk of incident PD, although a lower risk was observed among females. These findings suggest potential sex difference in the association between GLP-1RA use and PD risk and highlight the need for longer follow-up and prospective studies in obesity populations.

Conference/Value in Health Info

2026-05, ISPOR 2026, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue S6

Code

EPH9

Topic

Epidemiology & Public Health

Topic Subcategory

Safety & Pharmacoepidemiology

Disease

SDC: Diabetes/Endocrine/Metabolic Disorders (including obesity), SDC: Neurological Disorders

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