Efficacy and safety of glucagon-like peptide 1 agonists for Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

Recent research on Parkinson's disease (PD) therapy has highlighted glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists as potential therapeutic agents. However, recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown mixed results regarding the use of this medication.

OBJECTIVE

To perform a meta-analysis comparing GLP-1 agonists with placebo or standard PD treatment in adult PD patients.

METHODS

We systematically searched the PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central databases. The efficacy outcomes were assessed through the Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) and the 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). We also assessed adverse events. Dichotomous data were compared using the risk ratio (RR), and continuous endpoints were pooled using the mean difference (MD).

RESULTS

We included 4 RCTs, with a total of 514 patients. In every study, the Hoehn and Yahr stage was < 3. The pooled analysis demonstrated that the use of GLP-1 agonists was not associated with an improvement in the scores on parts I, II, III, and IV of the MDS-UPDRS at 6 and 12 months of follow-up. Neither did quality of life (PDQ-39) show significant differences among the groups, and a higher risk of gastrointestinal adverse events and weight loss was observed with the use of GLP-1 agonists. A subgroup analysis further confirmed the lack of clinical benefits of the intervention regarding all of these efficacy outcomes, and the intervention also significantly reduced result heterogeneity.

CONCLUSION

In 1 year, GLP-1 agonists failed to improve motor and non-motor features of PD. Additional high-quality studies are needed to draw more robust conclusions about this treatment.