A recent study shows a surprising improvement in respiratory outcomes when patients with asthma receive weight loss drugs.
- shilpa212
- Apr 8
- 2 min read
Singapore, [10 April 2025] – A large real world evidence study conducted by leading respiratory experts found patients with asthma who received Glucagon-like peptide1 receptor-agonists (GLP1-RAs) had reduced in emergency hospitalisations, antibiotic use and need for respiratory medication compared to a matched patient population.
The study, titled "The real-world impact of Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists on asthma control in people with high-risk asthma and obesity" shows that as well as the expected increase in weight loss patients with asthma also had improved asthma control.
This research was conducted using a large UK patient database of over 28 million patients and has just been published in this month’s issue of the medical journal Advances in Therapy.
The analysis identified 10,111 GLP1-RA exposed people and 50,555 unexposed controls. The exposed cohort had higher BMI and more uncontrolled asthma measured using two composite measures of asthma outcomes (Risk Domain Asthma Control (RDAC) and Overall Asthma Control (OAC)). Following the prescribing of the weight loss drug the exposed cohort lost more weight and had improved asthma control for both RDAC (Odds ratio 2.11 95% CI 1.90 to 2.36) and OAC (OR 2.10, 95%CI 1.81 to 2.45) scores. GLP1-RA drugs appear to improve asthma control for people with obesity.
Professor Alan Kaplan, Medical director of LHIN Pulmonary Rehabilitation clinics in Ontario, Canada and the Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute, concluded, "Our findings suggest that GLP1-RAs have benefits on asthma control in people with obesity, and this information should contribute to the discussions around the decision to use these drugs."
Learn More
Read the full publication, ‘The Real-World Impact of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists on Asthma Control in People with High-Risk Asthma and Obesity’, in the April 2025 issue of Advances in Therapy.
This study was funded and conducted by the Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute (OPRI) Pte Ltd.
About OPRI
The Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute (OPRI) is an internationally recognized independent research organization dedicated to providing real-world evidence that supports best practices in chronic disease management in primary care. Learn more at https://www.opri.org.uk/. For media inquiries and additional information, please contact https://www.opri.org.uk/contact.
