Neurologists are warning that popular GLP-1 weight-loss medications, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, could pose serious risks for patients with certain neurodegenerative conditions, including motor neurone disease (ALS). The concern centres on the fact that the very mechanism which makes these drugs effective for weight loss and diabetes management, rapid reduction in appetite and body weight, may actually accelerate decline in patients whose brain disorders make weight loss particularly dangerous.

Dr Jinsy Andrews, a neurologist and director of NYU Langone's ALS Centre, is among the specialists cautioning that doctors need to weigh up these risks carefully when neurodegenerative disease is part of a patient's medical picture. Unlike in typical GLP-1 users, unintentional or accelerated weight loss in ALS patients is linked to faster disease progression, meaning a drug beneficial for the general population could be harmful for this specific group.