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A 14-year-old diabetes and obesity drug could delay Alzheimer’s progression (CNBC).

What’s going on: Novo Nordisk’s liraglutide—which the manufacturer sells as a diabetes medication under the name Victoza and as an obesity medication under the name Saxenda—“may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by protecting patients’ brains, according to data from a mid-stage trial released on Tuesday.”

• In the trial, which Novo Nordisk partly funded, Imperial College London researchers followed more than 200 patients in the U.K. who had mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Participants received either a daily injection of liraglutide or a placebo.
• “Patients who received liraglutide had an 18% slower decline in cognitive function after one year of treatment compared to those who received the placebo.”
• The second phase of the trial showed that the drug slowed down by nearly 50% the shrinking of the parts of the brain crucial for memory, language, decision-making and learning.

Why it’s important: Alzheimer’s affects almost 7 million Americans and is the fifth leading cause of death for people over 65. It is projected to affect almost 13 million Americans by 2050.

The bigger picture: These trial results—presented Tuesday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia—are the latest evidence suggesting that GLP-1s, the drug class into which liraglutide falls, may offer health benefits in addition to weight loss and better blood-sugar levels.

• Novo Nordisk and other pharmaceutical companies, including Eli Lilly, “have been studying their drugs’ potential in patients with chronic conditions ranging from fatty liver disease to sleep apnea.”