AAAAI: GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Linked to Reduction in Asthma Exacerbation Risk

FRIDAY, March 6, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist treatment is associated with reduced asthma exacerbation risk among individuals with overweight or obesity, without diabetes, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, held from Feb. 27 to March 2 in Philadelphia.

Ruchi Patel, M.D., from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, and colleagues used data from the global collaborative network in TriNetX to compare asthma exacerbation rates during a three-year period between those initiating a GLP-1 receptor agonist and matched controls without GLP-1 receptor agonist exposure.

The overweight, obese, and morbidly obese cohorts included 710 patients, 1,515 patients, and 1,249 patients, respectively, after propensity score matching. The researchers found that GLP-1 initiation was associated with a reduced risk for asthma exacerbations in the overweight group, with a risk ratio of 0.748 and a risk difference of 14.6 percent. GLP-1 receptor agonist initiation was associated with a reduced risk for exacerbation in the obese group, with a risk ratio of 0.790 and a risk difference of 12.2 percent. GLP-1 receptor agonist initiation was associated with a reduced risk for exacerbation in the morbidly obese group, with a risk ratio of 0.780 and risk difference of 13.3 percent.

“Asthma exacerbations can be disruptive for patients, especially those living with obesity, who often have fewer effective treatment options,” Patel said in a statement. “Our findings suggest that GLP-1 receptor agonists may be associated with fewer asthma exacerbations in nondiabetic patients, pointing to a promising new direction that could ultimately improve day-to-day asthma control and quality of life.”

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