Weight-Loss Drugs Ozempic & Wegovy Potentially Lower Breast Cancer Risk by 30%
A groundbreaking study showcased at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting has unveiled that widely used GLP-1 weight-loss medications, including Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound, could significantly diminish the risk of breast cancer in women.
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine scrutinized health records from over 110,000 women aged between 45 to 80 with a BMI of 25 or higher. The findings, concurrently published in JCO Oncology Practice, indicated that women consuming GLP-1 receptor agonist medications were approximately 30% less prone to develop breast cancer than those who were not prescribed these drugs.
Principal investigator Dr. Elizabeth McDonald, MD, PhD, professor of Radiology at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center, pointed out that although the study is observational and cannot conclusively affirm causation, it does contribute to the expanding evidence suggesting the need to investigate these weight-loss drugs as potential cancer prevention tools. Scientists theorize that the protective effect might originate from weight loss, decreased systemic inflammation, and metabolic alterations that aid in inhibiting tumor growth.
Preparations are already in progress for a large-scale multisite clinical trial to further evaluate whether GLP-1 medications can reduce breast cancer incidence among high-risk women. These findings signify a potentially transformative moment in women’s health and the broader narrative of GLP-1 medications.
Source: US News Health – GLP-1 Drugs Like Ozempic May Lower Breast Cancer Risk By About 30%