Semaglutide and Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Semaglutide, published as an observational study.

To investigate the potential association between semaglutide and NAION in the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) network.

Association between semaglutide and NAION was assessed using 2 approaches: an active-comparator cohort design comparing new users of semaglutide with those taking other GLP-1RAs and non-GLP-1RA drugs, and a self-controlled case-series (SCCS) analysis to compare individuals' risks during exposure and nonexposure periods for each drug.

Why It Was Studied

Semaglutide, a glucagonlike peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), has recently been implicated in cases of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), raising safety concerns in the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Who Took Part

PubMed indexes the participants as adults, middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

Included were adults with T2D taking semaglutide, other GLP-1RA (dulaglutide, exenatide), or non-GLP-1RA medications (empagliflozin, sitagliptin, glipizide) from December 1, 2017, to December 31, 2023.

How the Study Was Run

This was a retrospective study across 14 databases (6 administrative claims and 8 electronic health records).

The incidence proportion and rate of NAION were calculated.

The SCCS used conditional Poisson regression models to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs).

Network-wide HR and IRR estimates were generated using a random-effects meta-analysis model.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Databases, Factual, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists, Glucagon-Like Peptides, Hypoglycemic Agents, Incidence and Optic Neuropathy, Ischemic.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is an observational study of Semaglutide.

Its findings take up roughly 8 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2025 (JAMA ophthalmology), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Semaglutide compound page, all human trials.