WEDNESDAY, Sept. 9, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A widely used weight-loss and diabetes drug may offer a surprising bonus: healthier lungs.

"GLP-1 receptor agonists are widely used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity," said lead researcher Chloe Bloom of the National Heart & Lung Institute at Imperial College London. "We wanted to use real-world health records to investigate whether people with asthma or COPD who started GLP-1 receptor agonists had fewer acute respiratory attacks."

Her team compared tens of thousands of patients prescribed either a GLP-1 medication or another type of diabetes treatment to see if they helped with asthma or COPD.

The results: Only one — semaglutide, the active ingredient in drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy — made a difference. It was associated with nearly 40% fewer asthma attacks and 20% fewer COPD flare-ups.

No significant association was found with the other GLP-1 meds, regardless of dose or underlying lung disease.

Bloom called the findings encouraging.

But, she added, for now, "people with asthma or COPD should not start GLP-1 receptor agonists specifically for their lung condition outside current prescribing guidance."

Previous research suggests GLP-1 drugs may have anti-inflammatory effects and improve lung-related outcomes.

Clinical trials are still needed to confirm these results.

The findings were presented Tuesday in Barcelona, Spain, at a meeting of the European Respiratory Society. Findings presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The American Lung Association has more on asthma and COPD.

SOURCE: HealthDay TV, Sept. 9, 2026