New research presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress 2026 found that semaglutide, a GLP-1 medication used for diabetes and weight loss, reduced asthma attacks by nearly 40% and COPD flareups by 20% in a real-world study of over 20,000 patients, though additional clinical trials are needed to confirm these findings.
- 40% reduction in asthma attacks among patients taking semaglutide compared to those on alternative diabetes medications
- 20% reduction in COPD flareups observed in the same patient population across the United Kingdom
- Anti-inflammatory effects of GLP-1 drugs may explain improved lung-related outcomes, though researchers caution against prescribing semaglutide specifically for respiratory diseases without further trials
Semaglutide, the popular GLP-1 for diabetes and weight loss may also provide an unexpected benefit for people who have respiratory diseases. In new research presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress 2026 in Barcelona, Spain, investigators presented evidence that the drug reduced asthma attacks by nearly 40% and COPD flareups by 20%.
The study was led by Chloe Bloom, PhD, MBChB, MSc, a clinical associate professor of respiratory epidemiology at the National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, and presented by Bohee Lee, PhD, MPH, PharmD, an epidemiologist, also of Imperial College London.
In the study, investigators analyzed U.K. electronic medical records across four parallel studies involving between 20,000 and 22,000 patients who began treatment with either a GLP-1 receptor agonist or a sulfonylurea, another commonly prescribed diabetes medication. According to the results, patients with airway diseases who received GLP-1 therapies experienced fewer respiratory complications than comparable patients taking alternative diabetes treatments.
“Previous research suggests that they [GLP-1s] may have anti-inflammatory effects and may improve lung-related outcomes. However, asthma and COPD outcomes have not been included as outcomes in GLP-1 drug trials,” said Dr. Bloom in an ERS press release. “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.”
Despite promising results, researchers emphasized that the findings do not justify prescribing semaglutide specifically to treat asthma or COPD at this stage. Bloom cautioned that additional clinical trials are needed to confirm whether the observed benefits are directly attributable to the medicine.
The ERS press release also included feedback from independent scientists not associated with the study. Alexander Mathioudakis, MD, PhD, FRCP, FERS, chair of the ERS Group on Airway Pharmacology and Treatment and senior lecturer in respiratory medicine at the University of Manchester in England, described the research as one of the largest real-world studies examining the relationship between GLP-1 receptor agonists and airway disease.
“It highlights the need to consider metabolic health as part of respiratory care. It also supports the case for including respiratory outcomes, such as asthma attacks and COPD exacerbations, in future trials of metabolic therapies,” Dr. Mathioudakis said. “We need clinical trials that include respiratory outcomes, such as asthma attacks, COPD exacerbations, lung function, symptoms and quality of life, to determine whether metabolic treatments could become part of a broader, more personalized approach to managing airways disease.”
